Shipping and Marine Issue 100 Final

ISSUE 100 Final edition

Shipping &MARINE

The magazine for maritime management

The best

defence Putting in place a strong risk management system is a crucial factor in determining whether or not any port facility is a commercial success

complex contracts

There are strategies that can be adopted at the outset of a project to minimise cost blowouts and overruns in shipbuilding

a pragmatic approach

The recent advance of electronic bills of lading (eBLs) appears to confirm that this has now come of age

working together

With a 3D IT solution, marine and offshore organisations can now tackle the industry’s biggest challenges head-on

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Editor

ISSUE 100 2013 Early edition

www.shippingandmarine.co.uk

A new opportunity W

Shipping &MARinE

ThE magazInE for marITImE managEmEnT

The best

defence putting in place a strong risk management system is a crucial factor in determining whether or not any port facility is a commercial success

complex contracts

there are strategies that can be adopted at the outset of a project to minimise cost blowouts and overruns in shipbuilding

a pragmatic approach

the recent advance of electronic bills of lading (eBls) appears to confirm that this has now come of age

hen it comes to safety in port operations, operators have a raft of options available to them, from a man on the ground to an eye in the sky. But, according to this issue’s lead story, analysing the efficiency of security and monitoring operations is getting easier and easier, thanks to technology. “One of the biggest developments in security in recent years has been the growing volume of data that is collected during operations. This provides a significant opportunity for port operators to hone their security processes by using the insight gained from the data gathered,” says David Fairnie of G4S Global Port Solutions. See page 8 for the full story.

working together

With a 3D It solution, marine and offshore organisations can now tackle the industry’s biggest challenges head-on

One of the biggest developments in security in recent years has been the growing volume of data that is collected during operations

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Contents FEATURES

PROFILES

3 News

17 karmsund

Updates and announcements from the shipping and maritime arena

20 Port of gibraltar

6 Complex contracts Addressing cost blowouts and project overruns in shipbuilding, and the lessons that can be learned from the oil & gas industry

24 remontowa SA 29 port of split 31 parkol marine engineering services 35 oman shipping company 37 ultratug 41 port of southampton 44 bestobell lng 47 suez canal container terminal 50 Workships Contractors 52 pd ports 54 vyborg shipyard

8 The best defence To maintain a high standard of risk mitigation, it’s vital that all security processes are continuously reviewed and when necessary, improved and reapplied

10 A pragmatic approach An eBL is not simply the electronic equivalent of the traditional paper-based bill of lading. Rather, it is a combination of a legal rulebook and technology

57 Lauritzen kosan 61 hong lam marine 65 puerto cortés 68 hoek naval engineering 75 maats tech 80 noble chartering 83 port of antwerp 86 frisia-offshore 88 CATAPULT CATAMARANS MARINE PROJECTS 90 Vikoma International 92 matre 94 caterpillar marine power systems

12 Fit for the future This is a period of change for shipping and as the industry evolves into more energy efficient and sustainable operations, lubricant providers must remain one step ahead

14 Working together As the industry adopts collaborative technology, the potential for the successful completion and launch of today’s complex vessels and platforms is boundless

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68

News Valve order UK-based Bestobell Valves, part of the President Engineering Group (PEGL), has won a major new contract to supply cryogenic valves to TGE (Marine Gas Engineering) in Germany for two fuel-efficient dual-fuel cruise liners.

The valves are destined for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan where the 984ft long vessels are being built, on behalf of Aida cruise lines of Germany.

Aida’s new cruise ships will be able to run on LNG (liquefied natural gas), which offers greater fuel efficiency, as well as marine diesel oil or heavy fuel oil. Bestobell Valves will supply around 40 globe valves, non-return valves and check valves for the contract, which are currently being made at its factory in Sheffield ready to be shipped out to TGE in August this year for incorporation in their fuel system.

Mark Henley, managing director of President Engineering Group Ltd, said: “This is a major contract win for us in what is a growing area of our business – the use of LNG as a marine fuel. We have the expertise and technology to design and produce bespoke cryogenic valves to suit customers needs on an international basis and we are excited about future growth opportunities for our business in this sector.”

Access only

Varonis, the leading provider of comprehensive data governance software, has revealed details of its work with the Marine Institute.

With a primary objective to ensure that only authorised people have access to the data that they are meant to have access to; the Marine Institute discovered Varonis DatAdvantage was capable of more than just reporting.

Keith Manson, IT systems and operations manager for Marine Institute explains: “At the start of this project we were originally sourcing a reporting solution so we could determine where the [permissions] issues lay with the plan to subsequently go through them manually. The idea was to do everything by security groups. Using DatAdvantage I’m confident that we’ve done that as efficiently as possible. In a few months we’ve completed the audit, made the necessary changes required and we’re now in a position to control access moving forwards. We have only the correct personnel authorised to access the data that they require and no other data. But there’s a lot more to DatAdvantage than just reporting. It gives me the ability to exercise control, and to make actions based on the reports, which exceeds our original requirements. As data owners change over time, and that’s the nature of our sector which isn’t going to change anytime soon, it’s important to keep track of who the owners are and that’s where the software comes into its own – we can do that quickly and efficiently which was impossible previously.”

LNG for Lithuania The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending EUR 87 million to Klaipedos Nafta for the construction and operation of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility located in the port of Klaipeda. This investment is critical for Lithuania to diversify and secure its energy supply as well as provide backup in the event of gas supply failures.

The LNG terminal comprises a floating storage and regasification vessel (leased by Klaipedos Nafta), an offshore jetty including gas handling facilities and an 18 km pipeline connection to the Lithuanian gas grid, which are being financed by the EIB loan.

The project is planned to be finalised by the end of 2014.

“The EIB strongly promotes security and diversification of energy supply. We therefore particularly welcome this agreement with Klaipedos Nafta, as the project will ensure the sustained supply of a key source of energy and will increase competition in Lithuania.

We would obviously like to see this as the first of a series of energy projects that we could finance in Lithuania,” said EIB vicepresident Pim van Ballekom at the signing ceremony.

“We are delighted that Klaipedos Nafta concluded this loan agreement with the EIB. This long-term loan will be the backbone of the LNG terminal’s project financing and will ensure that the project will be completed in a timely fashion. This is very important as the LNG terminal will bring competition to the Lithuanian gas market for the first time ever,” remarked Rokas Masiulis, CEO of Klaipedos Nafta.

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Double deckers

Continuous development

P&O Ferrymasters is boosting its hallmark tailor-made logistics capability with a state-ofthe-art fleet of Mega double deck box trailers that feature a height-adjustable second loading floor.

With an average height of 1.4m per loading floor, the multifunctional trailers provide 27 metres of loading space for non-stackable palletised or packaged cargo - matching a standard trailer’s capacity of up to 66 stackable pallets while staying within the 26-tonne payload limit. The double deck loading facility also minimises the risk of damage to lightweight commodities.

The company’s first ten double-deckers are now in service for contract customers in the Benelux region. The purpose-designed box trailers were specified with anti-theft measures to serve demand for the carriage of theft-attractive goods.

Following the Benelux roll out, further units will be introduced across Europe in line with targeted market growth.

Strainstall Marine UK has announced the award of a contract for the supply of an Integrated Marine Monitoring System (IMMS), from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of Korea. The IMMS is for the Moho Nord Tension Leg Platform (TLP), of which HHI is the constructor and Total Oil the principal operator. The Moho Nord platform is to be located offshore Congo, West Africa.

The multi-million dollar project is one of the largest contracts of this type awarded to Strainstall Marine, and is an example of the ever-developing integration capabilities of the company. The project has a wide brief with many integrated systems providing critical monitoring data to the platform operating team.

The Integrated Marine Management System is based around a centralised architecture, utilising field-proven software, processors and input/output systems. The IMMS brings together the operation of a number of hull-based monitoring and control systems, including tendon tension monitoring, load cells, riser monitoring, draft gauging, load management software, winch monitoring, corrosion monitoring and a Metocean system to monitor a range of sea and air conditions. There will be provision for several-hundred lines of input/output running directly into the system.

The project, due to be delivered to the customer in March 2014, shows the commitment of Strainstall Marine to the continuous development of technology and systems, enabling platform management teams to make informed judgments based on the provision of complex data from a diverse range of sensors and systems.

Operational error Speaking at the industry forum, ASEAN Ports and Shipping in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, TT Club’s regional director for Asia Pacific, Phillip Emmanuel, showed evidence that a very high percentage of the insurer’s claims were due to some kind of operational error. The vast majority could have been avoided through good management practice.

Leading transport and logistics insurer TT Club’s latest analysis of 9500 claims over the past seven years, valued at US$ 400m, confirmed an on-going trend in avoidable damaging events that resulted in claims.

Phillip showed that the majority were due to poor operations and processes and a further 14 per cent resulted from maintenance related issues. Only 18 per cent were caused by weather related issues, seemingly out of the control of the operator, but an amount of these could have been avoided through more adequate preparation.

“Effective procedures, training and safety technology will reduce risk and bring other commercial benefits such as lower insurance premiums and higher customer satisfaction,” advised Phillip.

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Keeping sailors in touch Globecomm Maritime is supporting British charity, the Jubilee Sailing Trust, by keeping its two tall ships STS Lord Nelson and STS Tenacious connected to friends and family during their ground-breaking itineraries.

Lord Nelson and Tenacious are the only vessels in the world specially modified to be accessible for disabled and able bodied sailors alike. Lord Nelson is the first vessel of its type to sail around the world while Tenacious is heading for the UK and then the Baltic Sea to take part in the international Tall Ship Race series over the summer.

To keep the ships connected while they are at sea, Globecomm partnered with Iridium to install OpenPort terminals on both vessels and equip them for Wi-Fi connectivity below decks.

“Knowing that Lord Nelson was due to undertake a round the world voyage, which included Antarctica, Iridium was the only viable option since it is the only satellite provider to cover entire globe from pole to pole,” explains Globecomm Maritime vice-president of sales, Asia Pacific Trevor Whitworth.

“The entire team at Globecomm were tremendously impressed by the work that the Jubilee Sailing Trust does with people of all ages in what can be very tough conditions at sea. Staying in touch is a vital part of living and working at sea and we wanted to assist in making sure the crew and volunteers could get online and update friends and family with the experience of life onboard.”

In addition to the Iridium Pilot antennas and below decks units, Globecomm Maritime has supplied two crew phones and a master’s phone along with a Wi-Fi access point.

News Descending to the deep

Following a cross-country journey with stops at science institutions, museums and even Capitol Hill, filmmaker and explorer James Cameron recently handed over the Deepsea Challenger, the only human occupied vehicle currently able to access the very deepest parts of the ocean, to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

Here, this impressive submersible system will be put to good use as a state-of-the-art scientific platform for future deep sea missions.

Almost everything on the Deepsea Challenger is custom designed and tailor-made for its specific purpose, James Cameron (image courtesy of James Cameron) as the vehicle can rely on only the most expertly engineered systems and components, designed to function unfailingly under enormous strain. Amongst these, however, the many stainless steel PBOF and bulkhead SubConn connectors, supplied by Ocean Innovations, mark an impressive exception to prove the rule.

Tested explicitly to work at extreme depths, these industry standard connectors are used to interface the vehicle battery packs, the powerful spot and LED panel lighting arrays, HD and IMAX quality 3D cameras, along with and other vital instruments and sensors used on the Deepsea Challenger. In addition, SubConn connectors, including glass sphere modified units, were widely used to interface the two unmanned robotic landers that descended to perform pre-programmed tasks in the abyss - prior to the arrival of the Deepsea Challenger.

3400 mile journey Super tug Fairmount Glacier has delivered rig Falcon 100 safely offshore Pointe-Noire, Congo.

The rig was towed from Rio de Janeiro via the South Atlantic Ocean over a distance of over 3400 miles.

The Falcon 100 is a 1974 build semi-submersible drilling rig, owned by US based Transocean and capable to drill to a depth of 7620 metres. The rig has a length of 79 metres and a breadth of 66 metres.

For this job the Fairmount Glacier was mobilised from Trinidad. First the tug towed the Falcon 100 from her drilling location offshore Macae, Brazil, to offshore Rio de Janeiro. Then Fairmount Glacier assisted the rig in anchor handling activities and loading all kinds of equipment. Also the Fairmount Glacier assisted in installing a new ‘bridle’ – the connection between rig and towing line.

After arrival in Pointe Noire the Fairmount Glacier assisted in keeping the rig in position during the deployment of her anchors. Also the Fairmount Glacier took over equipment and other cargo from Falcon 100 which was discharged in the port of Pointe Noire.

Regenerating iconic site North Tyneside Council has named Kier Property as its development partner to bring forward the regeneration of the former Swan Hunter shipyard.

The appointment follows a competitive tendering process and, under the contract, Kier Property will now deliver a master plan to transform the 34-acre site, secure occupiers for the high-tech industrial and office complex and build bespoke units over the next three years to meet the needs of individual occupiers.

The site will be marketed to advanced manufacturing companies specialising in the offshore industry, which will benefit from the easy access to the North Sea, a fully operational 300m quay, heavy-load lay down areas together with associated facilities and infrastructure.

The site has been identified as ‘strategically significant’ in the on-going regeneration of the north-east and North Tyneside Council has already been successful in securing £13.8m of funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Homes and Communities Agency and the Local Enterprise Partnership Growing Places Fund.

This will fund infrastructure improvements, which have already commenced on the site to provide utilities, access improvements, quay edge improvements and dredging to allow for larger vessels to berth.

As the riverside quay will be an essential facility for new tenants on the wider site, North Tyneside Council has also agreed to begin procurement to appoint an experienced quay operator to deliver services at the site on behalf of the Council.

The successful bidder will be expected to manage the increased use of the quay as a result of the improved facilities on site.

Kier Property associate director, Mark Robinson, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected to regenerate this iconic site. It has great potential to breathe new life into the area by attracting high-tech businesses, inward investment and creating new jobs.

“The new development will be of particular interest to advanced manufacturing companies that specialise in off-shore activity due to the great location of the site and purpose-built high-spec units.”

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CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

Complex

contracts

Clare Colhoun looks at addressing cost blowouts and project overruns in shipbuilding, and the lessons that can be learned from the oil & gas industry

T

he international shipbuilding industry is becoming a dynamic and competitive sector that continues to innovate across an incredibly diverse range of projects. By nature, shipbuilding projects are complex and just like any large capital project are subject to delays in completion plus significant cost overruns. This problem is a well-recognised one and to some degree accepted, but it need not be. There are strategies that can be adopted at the outset of a project to minimise cost blowouts and overruns.

In order to address the issue, we need to take a look at the root causes. In a recent paper, the Fisher Maritime Consulting Group identified the importance of establishing a comprehensive contracting strategy from the outset of a project. They identified a scenario which commonly occurs in the shipbuilding industry whereby shipyards want the structural design of a vessel

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completed rapidly to enable construction to commence, yet the design team has not finished their work. Often, this leads to design compromises and to significant cost and schedule overruns. At the heart of the problem is the fact that decisions are often made based on hopes and assumptions rather than careful analysis of capabilities, experience and risks.

Perhaps as a result of the pressure that is often exerted by the shipyard to commence construction while the design process is on-going, ship owners and design consultancies often try to shift the responsibility for many aspects of the design of the ship onto the shipyard. However, there’s a growing recognition in the industry based on recent legal judgements that this situation is unsustainable. It is becoming understood that legally, owners and designers cannot assign responsibility and liability to the shipbuilder, especially concerning errors and design

inconsistencies, which are now being viewed as pre-contract information and a shared responsibility.

Another issue that often leads to cost overruns relates to additional deliverables, in addition to the ship itself and spare parts. The problem here is that often in ship conversion and construction contracts, the owner expects the shipyard and contractor to provide these deliverables, yet they aren’t often adequately addressed contractually, prior to the commencement of work. Examples include engineering analysis reports, condition-found reports, equipment selection reports and regulatory approvals. By improving contract management processes, which surface all of the above issues in time, this situation can be completely avoided. Fisher Maritime Consulting Group also cited this in their recent paper.

We’ve outlined here just a few industry-wide problems related to contract management but there are others. The shipbuilding industry would be well advised to take a leaf from the book of the oil and gas industry, which is embracing capital project contract management software solutions, such as ProCon from 8over8, to support the awarding and execution of large contracts.

Why does the shipbuilding industry need contract management solutions?

The parallels between the shipbuilding and oil & gas sectors are striking. In both industries, at the start of a project, the operator and contractor set out the ‘Rules of the Game’ in the contract document, whereby the parties agree business processes for handling technical queries, design change notices, site instructions, change orders, variation requests, variation orders, contract amendments, and claims. Effective contract execution calls for efficient management of all of these interparty communications and instructions.

Unfortunately, however, when it comes to changes, the contract manager is often informed about significant site instructions that have potential contractual significance after the event. On major projects, this often has serious consequences, as instructions given for change can later emerge as disputed variation requests and possibly develop into expensive claims.

To address these issues, many oil & gas operators have adopted central, reliable contract management systems, utilised by all parties to the contract. These play a valuable role in capital projects, preventing a hung jury situation when claims are being negotiated. The system establishes who made what decision and when, as the contract is executed and unforeseen events unfold. It adds context-sensitive information and prevents the blame game because all decisions and authorisations for contract changes and amendments are captured in real-time in a central safety net – the contract management system.

Like the offshore oil and gas industry, shipbuilding is indeed a very risky business and the contracts that govern the contractual relationships must clearly define the ownership and allocation of risk amongst the various parties. Although contracts are drafted to be as specific and iron clad in relation to the ownership of risk, there is always room for interpretation. In particular, the complex interfaces in these projects add to the risk profile – allocating risk

at the interface is never a clear cut situation. Once signed, the contract progresses to the execution phase and throughout this phase a plethora of contract amendments, design changes, change orders, contract variations and typically, claims will ensue. Each so called ‘change order’ carried out by the operator or supplier incurs significant, unintended cost. Add up tens or hundreds of these and it is easy to understand how a large project can veer off its original budget. Whilst clear allocation of risk through strong indemnity clauses was the primary challenge in drafting and negotiating the contract, pro-active identification management and mitigation of risk become the new challenge in executing the contract. Adopting a reliable enterprise-ready contract management system overcomes these issues and has the potential to generate significant savings on capital expenditure, as well as helping to avoid project overruns. v Capital project contract issues common to Shipbuilding and Oil & Gas projects l High value, high risk contracts with a high propensity to

scope change, design clashes and unforeseen external events catastrophes. l Frequent interaction between the contractor and the operator on contractual issues that may subsequently feature in a claim. l Business critical contracts with binding obligations concerning turn-around times of contractor requests and contractor claims. l A unique project contract strategy that divides the project scope into discrete contract packages to be developed and taken to market in line with the project schedule. l Contract approvals and significant changes to contracts including scope, contract value and project schedule are governed by ‘external’ Boards comprising representatives from joint venture partners. l Success is highly dependent on the expertise of project professionals. l Milestone-driven, fast paced environment, frequently 24/7 with back to back staff. Little or no time to ‘learn’ new systems.

Clare Colhoun

Clare Colhoun is the chief executive officer at 8over8. 8over8 provides enterprise-grade contract management software solutions for organisations that build and operate assets. It creates value in mega projects, by unifying stakeholders onto a single web-based platform to protect investment and drive performance and profitability. At the heart of its offer is ProCon - a contract management platform that works together with or independent of ERP solutions, offering a best practice solution to planning, management and execution. For further information visit: www.8over8.com.

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safety & security

The best defence

David Fairnie highlights the need for port operators to have a robust risk management system in place

O

ne of the toughest challenges for port operations directors is to ensure that a safe and secure environment is maintained at all times. Port operations carry a myriad of associated risks so it’s important to have a clear and effective strategy in place to deal with them.

To achieve this effectively, the first stage must always be the initial risk assessment. Following this, operations directors will need to develop and agree risk mitigation strategies, as well as consider how the effectiveness of these strategies will be monitored.

To maintain a high standard of risk mitigation, it’s vital that all security processes are continuously reviewed and when necessary, improved and reapplied. Companies must ensure that their risk management systems are rigorous at every level – not simply a tick box exercise. With a constantly evolving range of risks threatening port operations, it’s essential that processes are kept in a continual state of progression and are not allowed to stagnate.

It’s also important that risk processes and management procedures across an entire port operation are properly linked and working effectively together. All elements of a port’s risk management strategy such as health and safety, environment,

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and security itself, need to be based on a model of continuous improvement. This is the essence of enterprise risk management and to make this work, port operators must understand how all the different parts of their operation can work effectively together.

It is important to identify where security can help mitigate health and safety issues, as well as supporting environmental strategies. A simple example of this would be in surveillance.

In our operations at Gothenburg, we use security mechanisms already in place, such CCTV, which allow security providers to monitor health and safety risks around the geography of the port and quickly identify any breaches. This can also be achieved through patrols in which security staff can identify potentially unhealthy practices and either bring these to the attention of health and safety management teams, or act quickly to prevent accidents or more serious issues.

The interplay of security provision and maintaining health and safety standards is also visible at port entry points. At ports where G4S is the security solutions provider, we regularly use our security staff to monitor those entering a terminal to not only ensure that they have the appropriate accreditation to enter the site, but also the appropriate health & safety inductions and PPE (personal protection equipment) clothing. By combining oversight of both security and safety maintenance, it is possible to

create significant financial savings for port operators.

The good news for port operators is that analysing the efficiency of security and monitoring operations is getting easier and easier. One of the biggest developments in security in recent years has been the growing volume of data that is collected during operations. This provides a significant opportunity for port operators to hone their security processes by using the insight gained from the data gathered.

To assist our clients in getting the most out of the data they collect, we provide in-depth risk analysis to highlight trends and incident hotspots. This is shared with our customers during continual improvement meetings so that security procedures can evolve to account for risks accordingly.

The opportunity presented by data to improve security processes is too good to miss. Progressive port operators need seize the opportunity by working with their security providers to maximise the benefits they can obtain from data to improve their risk management services.

Before a port is constructed, security solutions providers can provide vital input in planning its future operations - effective risk management is best initiated at the design phase of a new facility. As awareness of the importance of mitigating security risks has grown in recent years, so port operators and security solutions providers are increasingly collaborating at this stage.

Involving risk management consultants at the outset has proved a hugely effective way of maintaining operational efficiency in ports once they are built and in operation.

One of the biggest advantages of this approach is the ability to plan for and prevent localised environmental incidents, which could result in the closure of a port. For example, it is perfectly possible to plan for endemic risks such as incorrect movement of containers containing hazardous goods that could cause spillages.

When such incidents occur, it may be possible at the design phase to develop features, which minimise disruption, providing a potentially huge commercial upside for port operators.

The key point for all port operations is that no security provision should ever be an ‘off-the-shelf’, purely price-based service. Current risk profiles require truly bespoke solutions to effectively serve the fast-changing ports industry.

Poor security processes can have broad impacts. Some are direct such as the immediate loss or damage of goods or hardware, and others such as reputational and brand damage, are intangible but potentially hugely expensive. In extreme circumstances, poor processes can result in security breaches leading to terrorism, and subsequent injury or fatalities.

Putting in place a strong risk management system is a crucial factor in determining whether or not any port facility is a commercial success. v

David Fairnie

David Fairnie is director, G4S Global Port Solutions. G4S Ports Solution is the world’s largest ports security provider, offering best-practice innovative solutions to global port operators which face an increasing number of legislative demands and modern-day safety concerns. In the past three years G4S’s ports portfolio has more than doubled its global presence from 70 terminals to 170 in 125 countries. The business is largely focused on cruise and passenger traffic, dry bulk and containers. In addition to traditional security services, G4S Ports Solutions now provides consultancy, and cutting-edge technology.

For further information visit: www.g4s.com

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who

electronic bills of lading

A pragmatic

approach T Tom Rahder makes the case for electronic bills of lading

he bill of lading has always been a mainstay of the maritime import-export process. Principally serving as a contract between the carrier and the shipper which details the type, quantity and destination of the goods being carried, it is transferred through the trade chain via the banks. Ultimately, it will end up with the consignee who returns the bill of lading to the carrier in exchange for the goods.

Dating back to medieval times, this historic and well-established practice is also notoriously inefficient, with goods frequently arriving faster than the bill of lading, due to processing delays or loss of all or part of the relevant paperwork. For this reason, it is often necessary to generate letters of indemnity (LOI) to secure release of the goods where the bill of lading is absent. In many cases, this is the only way to keep the chain moving and plug the gaps in what is a highly labour-intensive, manual process – ultimately culminating in greater risk, work and expense.

To overcome these inherent procedural inefficiencies, speed up the slow-moving chain and ultimately get paid faster, exporters have recently shown renewed interest in an electronic version of this essential document.

The recent advance of electronic bills of lading (eBLs) appears to confirm that this has now come of age in terms of industry credibility and acceptance, with today’s best examples providing customers with a simple, rapid and open approach to eBLs. And, with no fees or charges for carriers, agents or port authorities for using this system, there are no negative cost implications to act as a barrier to broader adoption.

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Benefits for all

The pressure to automate the complex, multi-stage process of handling bills of lading process is not coming, as one might expect, principally from the carrier community. Rather, customers are driving change, as they recognise the benefits of efficiency and certainty which derives from electronic processing.

This forms an integral part of a broader shift towards the dematerialisation of documentation within the commercial shipping world, something which has been talked about for many years but which is now gaining momentum in an industry which is now under increasing volume and margin pressure .

However, although the impetus for change is coming from the buy-side, there are also a number of important benefits to the carrier. With capacity currently outstripping demand in many areas, the ability to offer an eBL capability is becoming a valuable differentiator against competitors unwilling to move away from traditional ways of working.

In some smaller bulk carrier markets using Handy, Handymax and Panamax vessels, for example, the adoption of eBL has moved on a stage further, as the ability to offer this capability has become an essential pre-requisite to trade with some major commodity suppliers.

In an industry in which carriers typically know relatively little about their customer base, the ability to offer eBL also improves competitiveness as it enables the carrier to get closer to, and so understand better, individual customer needs and challenges.

Customers typically see eBL as a valuable way to help them cut

costs, reduce time to cash, cut opportunities for fraud, enhance process transparency and increase certainty, by reducing errors and delays in the shipping process.

As a result, the carrier that is able to a have a detailed and constructive conversation on why they are the right partner to meet such challenges will be much better placed to secure the contract.

And the carrier can enhance their competitive position by aligning their existing technologies more effectively in this way, without major investment or rebuilding of existing processes.

An evolutionary process An eBL is not simply the electronic equivalent of the traditional paper-based bill of lading. Rather, it is a combination of a legal rule book and technology which can replicate the functions of a traditional paper bill of lading.

A best practice eBL solution will contain three key elements: a rule book, which is a common legal agreement entered into by all users as part of an enrolment agreement; a title registry, which acts both as a repository and an application which manages the transfer of title of the eBL; and an exchange platform.

This platform offers a number of advantages over database solutions, in that it allows the eBL to replicate the traditional paper process which supports the sending of the eBL between parties, and delivers to the holder of the eBL without the need for the holder to interact directly with the application.

This less invasive alternative requires less process change, as part of a more evolutionary approach to operational improvement.

An eBL is generated in an exactly similar way to that of a standard bill of lading, with a single additional process. This practical approach means that carriers can continue to follow their existing processes and simply incorporate one further step.

This responds to strong feedback from the market, which typically does not see the need to build new automated systems but is keen to explore options which build on, rather than replace, established technologies.

As a result, a best practice eBL solution is designed to work in conjunction with the corporate and carrier communities’ existing systems, rather than forcing all parties to converge on a single platform. Such a pragmatic approach is likely to encourage a more rapid adoption of the eBL, enabling all participants in the trade to chain to achieve maximum benefit. v

Tom Rahder

Tom Rahder is VP product strategy at Bolero International. Bolero is a cloud-based platform, which provides a different way to implement multi-bank trade finance solutions. Unlike traditional point-to-point approaches that are costly, complex and uncertain, Bolero’s cloud architecture ensures fast deployment, ease of use and global access together with no infrastructure costs.

For further information visit: www.bolero.net.

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marine lubricants

Fit for the

future

Preparing for the Vessel General Permit with bio lubricants.

By Serge Dal-Farr

T

ightening environmental legislation means that protecting the global marine environment is increasingly becoming a priority for ship owners and operators. Although operations across the board are being affected, lubrication is an area that has remained out of scope, until now that is.

Greater responsibility for the environment drives innovation and the demand for new solutions that enable the shipping industry to maintain and improve delivery of its daily operations is growing. Port and harbour areas in particular are subject to the industry’s most stringent regulations and here, environmental protection is considered an absolute priority.

A key challenge for all vessel operators is stern tubes lubricant leakage, which can remain undetected until the vessel’s next dry

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dock. In some cases, this may last up to four to five years. With the global fleet totaling more than 100,000, the cumulative effect of oil leaks, no matter how miniscule, must be regarded as a critical factor in environmental protection. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, one litre of mineral lubricant pollutes 1,000,000 litres of seawater.

Lubricant oil spills involve response costs as well as socioeconomic and environmental damage costs. Frequent low-volume operational discharges of lubricants are unlikely to result in the type of response generally applied in major oil spills. For this reason, it is important that all possible measures are taken to ensure that the harmful effects of leaks are neutralised. According to a study published by Environmental Research Consulting, total estimated costs for lubricating oil operational leak and discharge worldwide, based on the probabilities of operational discharges by vessel type in the 4708 global ports are estimated to be $322 million annually.

Legislation can be one of the most powerful tools behind the move towards increasingly sustainable shipping. Historically, legislation governing the lubricants used onboard vessels has simply not existed. However, earlier this year the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the 2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP) with regulations that will enter into force December of this year.

The VGP states that: “all vessels constructed on or after December 19, 2013 must use an environmentally acceptable lubricant in all oil-to-sea interfaces. For all vessels built before December 19, 2013, unless technically infeasible, owners/ operators must use an environmentally acceptable lubricant in all oil to sea interfaces’. ‘Environmentally acceptable lubricants’ means lubricants that are ‘biodegradable’ and ‘non-toxic’ and are not ‘bio-accumulative’...” Ship owners worldwide will now have to use lubricants that are compliant with this new legislation if they want to transit through US waters.

To aid in the fight against this issue, bio lubricants have been developed that cover bearings, gears, hydraulic systems, wire ropes and stern tubes. For example, TOTAL Lubmarine’s range of bio-lubricants includes Bioneptan, a synthetic ester, biodegradable stern tube lubricant that is manufactured with synthetic base oils. This makes it non-toxic and biodegradable

to nearly 80 per cent of its ultimate state of carbon and water within 28 days. Bioneptan has been through rigorous independent testing under the OECD 301 B requirements.

It is an environmentally acceptable lubricant (EAL), fulfils the European Ecolabel criteria and is, therefore, fully VGP compliant.

Experience shows that ester-based products are more durable than mineral lubricants, which are high in toxicity for the marine environment. They also perform much better than mineral oils due to excellent thermal and oxidation stability.

Given the indisputable impact of lubricants on the marine environment and the fact that all machinery uses lubricants, the risk of spills and leaks is impossible to eliminate. Bio lubricants address the need for greater sustainability, especially for stern tubes and propeller shafts - areas where leaks are most common.

There have also been significant advances through alternative engineering designs for stern tubes that eliminate or reduce the amount of lubricating oil in use, such as seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings. Also, since a certain proportion of lubricant lost to the sea comes from mechanical failure, regular equipment inspection by port authorities and modernisation of fleets, are all valid ways of reducing leakage impact.

The final VGP also contains more stringent effluent limits for oil to sea interfaces and exhaust gas scrubber wash water, which will assist in the environmental protection of US waters. The EPA has also improved the efficiency of several of the VGP’s administrative requirements. This includes allowing electronic recordkeeping, allowing combined annual reports for some vessel operators and reduced inspection frequency for vessels in a prolonged idle status, among others.

This is a period of change for shipping and as the industry evolves into more energy efficient and sustainable operations, lubricant providers must remain one step ahead to ensure that the global fleet is protected and fully equipped to take up evolving eco-efficiency technology solutions of the future. It is crucial that lubricant providers continue to work closely with both OEMs and customers to demonstrate that the combination of innovative technology and lubricants can safeguard efficient operations for the future, improving performance, whilst also reducing environmental impact. v

Serge Dal-Farr

Serge Dal-Farr is marketing director at TOTAL Lubmarine. TOTAL Lubmarine provides the shipping industry with pioneering marine lubricants and greases. The company is dedicated to engaging in partnership with its customers to provide solutions to their lubricant needs. A genuinely local partner, TOTAL Lubmarine provides the world’s largest network of delivery hubs supplying to over 1000 ports worldwide.

For further information visit: www.lubmarine.com.

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it

Working

together

Alain Houard discusses how a 3D IT solution can enable a collaborative approach to vessel creation

T

oday’s marine and offshore industry faces increasing challenges: the need to work faster on more complex marine products with an extended supply chain in a very competitive environment; deliver on-time information to customers on the project’s status at any time; and reduce programme management costs as well as design and production time. In order to keep a competitive advantage, shipyard executives are pressuring their suppliers and their own organisations to integrate and consolidate existing business practices and technology for information management to optimise programme management activities and foster collaboration.

Marine and Offshore organisations are increasingly taking advantage of the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform to plan and manage complex projects with an interactive 360 degree programme management approach, ensuring on time and on budget delivery.

Because of this technology, these organisations can now tackle head-on the industry’s biggest challenges:

Supply chain collaboration With up to 80 per cent of all ship vessel and platform components provided by the marine industry’s supply chain, shipyards are more and more playing the role of integrators. A lack of

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co-ordination along the supply chain can cause costly delays.

Effective collaboration with suppliers is, therefore, key to the success of any shipbuilding marine and offshore project. This includes careful orchestration of the request for quotation (RFx) process as well as efficient access to data for successful project execution.

With the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, the entire RFx process lifecycle takes place in a single collaborative environment.

Suppliers have secure access to up-to-date product information for efficient collaboration in real time, enabling companies to make the most of their supplier network. Additionally, the sharing of realtime data results in fewer changes. As every stakeholder is working off a single version of the truth, there are no more mistakes coming from users accessing different versions of the documents.

Contract management & cost containment Building a naval or cargo vessel is a massive undertaking. Many of these vessels are built to order, with tailored features and capabilities that make each ship a one-of-a-kind endeavour. With programmes totaling in the millions of dollars, contracts have become essential to any ship owner-shipyard relationship.

At the same time, military shipbuilding contracts are changing.

Gone are the days when shipbuilding companies could easily increase the price of a particular ship if costs went up due to a Navy request for a last minute change. The United States and other countries have now moved to a ‘fixed contract’ approach, where the price is defined once and for all. The US Navy, for instance, will indicate precisely what they need and the shipyard will agree to a set amount in advance of starting the work. Keeping track of the cost of the ship, until it is finally delivered, becomes a critical activity.

With the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, organisations can manage and track contracts and requirements throughout the project lifecycle. This prevents any surprises, such as late addition of specific CO2 emission requirements, which would create a problem that would be costly for the shipbuilder. With the ‘On Time To Sea’ 3D Industry Solution Experience based on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, organisations also have to maintain traceability and have an efficient means to ensure that all contract and requirements items are accessible to appropriate team members.

Also, if the customer requests any changes, such as the addition of a new cabin or bigger windows, the impact these will have on the entire project in terms of design and schedule can quickly and easily be seen. This allows both parties to immediately understand the impact of any change on the cost and delivery date of the ship, enabling them to make more informed decisions. In addition, ‘On Time To Sea’ will enable organisations to monitor a vessel’s compliance to international and national marine classification rules.

project mishandling. The installation of the nuclear engines was supposed to be done with Chinese insulation plates. However, the material was deficient, causing a delay. Russia is now suing China for $800 million for this error, which was due to an incorrect requirement management approach. Originally set to be completed in 2008, the refurbishment is now scheduled to be completed in October 2013, assuming there are no additional delays or problems.

The cost has skyrocketed, costing billions more than originally expected.

Strict process and resource planning throughout a project is required to avoid situations like this, given the sheer size and cost of a vessel or offshore platform. All stakeholders need to know where the project is against where it should be at any given point.

Workflow must be managed with every actor knowing when to intervene and what action is expected.

‘On Time To Sea’ provides the tools for role-based project management according to a project’s schedule. Tasks can be tied to requirement items, ensuring traceability. It provides the tools to effectively plan and manage activities with an organisation’s supply chain network and ensure that the project is on schedule and within budget. Thanks to real-time dashboard and metrics, all stakeholders can easily access up-to-date information and status.

Organisations can make informed decisions and take corrective action, if necessary, in a timely manner for smooth project execution.

Improved visualisation

Technology is an important trump card in a climate of economic uncertainty where investments are continually scrutinised and control of projects and costs are key to remaining competitive.

Streamlining the flow of information for efficient project management ensures marine and offshore manufacturers’ ability to meet their number one priority: to deliver on-time and onbudget. By taking advantage of the marine-centric collaborative, intelligent environment to monitor all activities across the extended enterprise, which includes their suppliers, shipyards are empowered to improve time to market and product quality while controlling margins. Since all stakeholders have secure access to up-to-date project data in real time from anywhere, common challenges that typically resulted in cost overruns and significant delays can be minimised. As the industry adopts this technology, the potential for the successful completion and launch of today’s complex vessels and platforms is boundless. v

A substantial amount of documentation can be produced for a marine and offshore project. This can include specifications, project schedules, safety and quality documentation as well as detailed plans of the vessel or platform. With 3D visualisation tools, decision makers can make more informed decisions by looking at the ship products in 3D, versus looking at a spreadsheet.

This also provides the ability to see potential problems and make adjustments before it is too late.

Intellectual property (IP) protection Intellectual property (IP) protection is of the utmost importance for projects that involve collaboration between several companies and suppliers. ‘On Time To Sea’ allows users to define access for each user based on role or discipline, ensuring that there is no unauthorised access to information.

‘On Time To Sea’ helps generate, efficiently manage and track all of an organisation’s electronic documents for maximum traceability. Organisations can protect their documents with advanced security mechanisms that identify and keep sensitive materials safe from unauthorised access.

On time production In the marine and offshore industry, producing on time is a compelling necessity. In fact, being late by one day can cost upwards of $5M. Let’s look, for example, at the refurbishment of India’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramadity, which has been purchased from Russia. It has been delayed by numerous cost overruns and

Opening new horizons

Alain Houard

Alain Houard is vice president, marine & offshore industry, at Dassault Systèmes. The ‘On Time To Sea’ Industry Solution Experience, based on Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a marine-centric digital environment that supports the interactive 360 degree program management approach required for marine and offshore companies to engage in collaborative planning, monitor project status and performance, and ensure secured traceability. For further information visit: www.3ds.com/solutions/marine-offshore.

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Profiles There are thousands of ships sailing the oceans today, transporting every kind of cargo.

The global fleet is manned by over a million seafarers of virtually every nationality and the companies involved in this sector are among the most technologically sophisticated of any in the world.

The prominent and successful companies that are highlighted in the next pages of Shipping & Marine provide real world examples of how state-of-the-art technology, best practices and modern innovations are put into practice in the maritime sector.

l karmsund

l Lauritzen kosan

l Port of gibraltar

l hong lam marine

l remontowa SA

l puerto cortĂŠs

l port of split

l hoek naval engineering

l parkol marine engineering services

l maats tech

l oman shipping company

l noble chartering

l ultratug

l port of antwerp

l port of southampton

l frisia-offshore

l bestobell lng l suez canal container terminal

l CATAPULT CATAMARANS MARINE PROJECTS

l Workships Contractors

l Vikoma International

l pd ports

l matre

l vyborg shipyard

l caterpillar marine power systems

Profile: Karmsund

Quay to the

region

T

he port of Karmsund has always played a vital role for large parts of the industry in southwestern Norway. It offers customers access to a wide range of facilities, and so whether they want to establish a business, rent space, place a boat in storage or use one of Karmsund’s harbour sections, the organisation will work hard to meet their needs.

Furthermore, the diverse maritime industry around Karmsund is a great advantage for the port and supports its complete service offering.

The fishing industry and shipyards with large dry docks gives the region a unique maritime diversity.

The Karmsund port area is the third largest in Norway, measured in cargo cover over the many waterfront segments. It is an efficient and modern business that holds service and quality as keys to its success, and can demonstrate solid economic foundations. The port also has a distinctly green profile to its operations, and focuses on the

environment and climate change as an integral part of daily routines.

Operations at Karmsund are split into three main areas – a subsea base; cruise line and containers/traffic.

Subsea & offshore base One division of Karmsund Port is the Killingøy Subsea & Offshore Base, which meets the regulations on protection of ports and port facilities against terrorist acts and so forth, as well as being approved by the NCA. Located at Killingøy, Statoil operates a major facility for its PRS (Pipeline Repair System), and as recently as June 2013, it took the keys to a new 1070 square metre hall on the base, which is on long-term lease from Karmsund, and features modern technology, including a 25-ton crane.

In addition to Statoil’s PRS facility, Killingøy is home to many of the region's prime subsea players, including: Technip Norway, Deep Ocean, Olufsen Ship Repair, Reach Subsea and

Mera. In addition, Karmsund Port Authority's administration is also located at Killingøy.

Representing a significant development for Karmsund, Technip signed an agreement for long-term rental of an industrial hall in Killingøy just days before Statoil took on its new facility.

According to the agreement, the hall will be completed in the first semester of 2014, and in addition, Technip in Norway has need for storage area outside the base.

“Initially, Technip will use the hall for storage and maintenance of modular hyperbaric rescue equipment, a module handling system for subsea equipment, adding accessories for cables and smaller vessels for air diving when not in use,” said managing director of Technip in Norway, Odd Strømsnes.

Karmsund port director Sigurd Eikje was very pleased to sign the long-term lease agreement with Technip, as the contract helps to emphasise the strength and importance of the subsea environment at Killingøy. The Karmsund Port

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Profile: Karmsund

Going forward, Karmsund will maintain its focus on consolidating its position, as well as making further improvements in order to meet the demands of the future, by facilitating the development of modern technology infrastructure in the port district the region can accommodate ships of all sizes.

It also established a park - Harbour Park - which will ensure that both cruise passengers and the region’s own citizens have a very enjoyable experience after a visit to the quay.

As a result of all this hard work, the first cruise ship arrived in May 2013 – Fred Olsen’s ‘Balmoral’. With room for 1350 passengers and a crew of 510 Balmoral is the largest in the Olsen cruise fleet, and is due to make more calls into Haugesund during the summer of 2013.

Traffic port

Authority has been working for several years to establish the agreement and will start work immediately on the design of an industrial hall with office facilities for rent to Technip.

“There is no other agreement Karmsund Port Authority has worked on for as long as this,” said Sigurd Eikje at the signing. “Therefore it feels especially good when you finally reach the goal.”

The agreement was signed at the same time as City Council in Haugesund adopted new zoning for Killingøy / Rekavik. “This creation shows that regulatory change was appropriate and important for subsea environment in the region,” added Sigurd.

Cruise port It was three years ago in 2010 when Karmsund Port Authority, together with destination management, took the strategic decision to launch a serious and sustained effort to attract cruise tourism.

Much effort and resources have been invested into the cruise facilities with Karmsund Port Authority investing about eight million itself to create the best possible conditions for ship, crew and passengers. Special attention was paid to the jetty and mooring arrangement and bollards are now 150 tons. With a quay of 297 metres,

Moving onto the traffic port, this location benefits from new road connections from Rogaland to E39, and means it is very strategically located in relation to the business community in the region, as well as Stavanger and Bergen.

In the harbour there are large areas of development available, plus the main quay was extended in summer 2012 to 270 metres, and as well as a modern RORO ramp, Karmsund provides a state-of-the-art quay, all designed to benefit end users.

Going forward, Karmsund will maintain its focus on consolidating its position, as well as making further improvements in order to meet the demands of the future, by facilitating the development of modern technology infrastructure in the port district. It also has ambitions to be a part of the development of the area in terms of industry and tourism; as well as to be the natural choice for ships, with easy access and good service. It looks clear that with this firm strategy in place, Karmsund will remain a port of great importance to both its local area and to the whole of Norway. v

Karmsund www.karmsund-havn.no • Three parts to business • Recently opened new facilities • Third largest port area in Norway

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Rock

steady 124- -www.shippingandmarine.co.uk www.shippingandmarine.co.uk 20

Profile: Port of Gibraltar

F

rom its vantage point at a key position for global trade, the Rock of Gibraltar has established a solid reputation as an important staging post for the international shipping community.

Over 71,000 ships sail through the Strait of Gibraltar every year and a significant number of these stop in the Port and make use of Gibraltar’s services.

As a result of its strategic location, the Rock is a major bunkering Port – the largest in the Mediterranean - and its bunkering companies continue to go from strength to strength. Over four million tonnes of bunkers were delivered in 2012 compared with just 0.84 million tonnes in 1990 and bunkering is now the main activity within the Port of Gibraltar. Around 9582 vessels called at Gibraltar in 2012 and of these, 6362 were supplied with bunkers.

Furthermore, Gibraltar companies are involved in a wide range of activities, providing reliable, quality services to international ship owners. The local airport is just a few minutes

from the harbour, from where there are several daily flights to various destinations in the UK and experienced agents are on hand to obtain spare parts, supply provisions and effect crew changes.

Established in 2005, the Gibraltar Port Authority’s (GPA) strategy is to build on Gibraltar’s unique geographical position and fiscal status and provide a vital link between all stakeholders to ensure a cohesive strategy aimed at achieving common goals. The Captain of the Port, Roy Stanbrook, oversees all operational matters including navigational safety and the smooth running of the Port.

With 11 years of experience gained from his time as Harbour Master at the Port of London Authority in the UK, Roy Stanbrook was appointed as Captain of the Port of Gibraltar in February 2012. A Younger Brother of Trinity House, a Fellow of the Nautical Institute and the holder of an STCW Master Unlimited Certificate of Competency, Captain Stanbrook oversees the growth and development in the various sectors of Port operations, with positive feedback

Over four million tonnes of bunkers were delivered in 2012 compared with just 0.84 million tonnes in 1990 and bunkering is now the main activity within the Port of Gibraltar

Brightside Services Brightside Services has been working with Oil Spill Response for the last four years to provide Integrated Tier 1 and 2 responses to the Gibraltar Port Authority.

Oil Spill Response is the oil industry’s Tier 3 response provider of choice, the only oil spill response co-operative with a global remit.

Brightside Services is working with Oil Spill Response to implement the Approved Competency Management Systems enhancing the local skills and expertise available to the Gibraltar Port Authority.

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already being received from many major players in the region. In fact, in the 18 months since his arrival, several efficiency improvements have already been made in the Port, including streamlining the process of booking bunkering slots, joining the Green Award Scheme and most recently, launching a mobile version of its website.

The Green Award certification scheme is open to oil and chemical tankers, bulk carriers, LNG carrying vessels and inland navigation barges. Ships holding a Green Award

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certificate are offered various incentives such as discounts on port dues, maritime products and training courses and reimbursement of certification costs by a few banks. By rewarding high safety and environmental standards in shipping, a Green Award makes above standard ship operation economically more attractive.

In keeping with its mission to ensure navigational safety and pollution control, the Port of Gibraltar decided to provide a five per cent reduction in tonnage dues for all Green

Award certified vessels entering BGTW (British Gibraltar Territorial Waters) and calling at the Gibraltar Port.

With the Port of Gibraltar being a major bunker port and the gateway to the Mediterranean, the Port’s decision to grant incentives to ships with the highest safety standards and which are confirmed by the Green Award certificate, motivates more ships owners to invest in improvement on board.

In addition to environmental issues, the Gibraltar Port Authority is also keen to

Profile: Port of Gibraltar

enhance its communications and bring instant information to the general public, business partners and clients. As a result, it launched a new website in October 2012, and in May 2013 released a new mobile-optimised version of the Port’s website, which allows access to the full website facilities that users currently enjoy but in a more user-friendly format on all smartphones (Android, iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Phone). It provides a more convenient and easy-to-read alternative for those who might be on the move with a simple top-level menu giving quick and easy access to the different areas of the website. The mobile site is available from a smartphone at www.gibraltarport.com.

Gibraltar has a plethora of benefits to offer cruise visitors - location, facilities, unrivalled levels of service and an abundance of attractions and a growing popularity. In 2012 a total of 172 calls brought more than 290,000 passengers ashore to the Rock.

For operators, the Port offers flexible and convenient berths. Its one metre tidal range means cruise ships can berth alongside the Cruise Terminal at any time of day or night within an hour of leaving the main shipping lanes of the Strait of Gibraltar. In addition, cruise ships and other vessels calling for bunkers or water can be accommodated on both sides of the Western Arm. Bunkering and cruise services may be very important to the GPA’s operations but they are by no means the only strings to its bow – Gibraltar is also home to a wealth of shipping expertise, and to many specialist companies offering a compressive range of maritime services. These include ship management, shipping agency, ship registry, ship repair, provisions, waste, and ship arrests.

It also has yachting facilities, which include a choice of three marinas and a service and support network that would grace many larger ports, with the British atmosphere of Gibraltar in a Mediterranean port as an added attraction for visiting yachtsmen.

When the Port of Gibraltar last featured in Shipping and Marine magazine, Captain Stanbrook was determined to rectify previous underinvestment at the organisation and was confident that the Port and Gibraltar’s strengths could be enhanced through a strong Gibraltar Port Authority administered plan for the future.

Significant progress on this has already been made, and going forward it looks likely that Roy will continue to build on a maritime heritage that goes back thousands of years, and create a vital, modern and competitive Port on the Rock of Gibraltar. v

Port of Gibraltar www.gibraltarport.com • Cruise calls still significant activity for the port • New mobile website launched • Results already being seen under new CEO’s leadership

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A diverse

service

A

s the operators of Poland’s one of the largest and oldest shipyard, Remontowa SA has developed a reputation as a company synonymous with quality and expertise. With 15 vessels currently under construction, four of them powered by LNG propulsion, the yard boasts a full order book until mid 2015. Wholly owned by Remontowa Group, the company’s slipways and docks allow for

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the construction of a diverse range of vessels.

Operating seven floating docks, the yard’s quays are well equipped with essential infrastructure, such as 24 cranes with the ability to lift up to 300 tonnes.

“Remontowa Group is the largest group in the north of Poland and contains 26 companies; the core of these is Remontowa Ship Repair, which focuses on conversions, followed by Remontowa Shipbuilding, which takes care of newbuildings,” says Jan Paszkowski, director of commerce at Remontowa SA. “The latter began in 2005 when Remontowa SA acquired the nearby Northern Shipyard and renamed it Remontowa Shipbuilding. This yard was built in 1945 with most of the production located under a roof, which at the time was used to allow the building of vessels for the Polish, USSR, Bulgarian, Yugoslavian and East German navies after the Second World War. These days, covered production facilities are a great asset as they offer weather protection during production.”

Currently Remontowa Shipbuilding only employs approximately 700 workers and around 1500 subcontractors, while Remontowa Group employs approximately 4500 workers at and subcontractors in its two shipyards located in Gdasnk, Poland. On the Baltic Sea, Remontowa SA is a leader among European ship repair

Profile: Remontowa SA

Fannefjord and Romsdalsfjord yards and a huge player in the world market, repairing or converting more than 200 vessels and offshore units for clients across the globe each year. Alongside several affiliated companies and subsidiaries that are also members of Remontowa Group, the company offers a wide range of ship repair and shipbuilding services for ferries, container carriers, floating docks, training and research ships, offshore units and steel structures.

“To give an example of our diversity and the range of interesting projects we are involved in, Remontowa SA is currently building ten PSVs for a US customer, one LNG powered PSV for a Norwegian client, and three LNG ferries for Norwegian and Danish owners that are going to be revolutionary. We also have a number of Navy projects and a series of ice breaker container vessels for the arctic,” says Jan. To support this comprehensive range of services offered, the company’s yard is fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and essential infrastructure. Nevertheless, the company is keen to not unnecessarily over invest, instead

making financial decisions based on the orders it receives, as Jan elaborates further: “Our investments tend to depend on the orders we are getting so with a niche being developed for bigger vessels we have been building a reinforced large launching facility. We also have a very large storage and outfitting hall where all of the supplies come straight from the tracks under the roof;

AutoLoad Services (UK) AutoLoad Services (UK) Limited are proud to be associated with Remontowa shipbuilding who are specialists in building technologically advanced vessels for the offshore oil and gas market. Their latest PSV orders from Gulfmark Offshore incorporate our class approved loading instrument software – AUTOLOAD, the software of choice for most of the world’s leading offshore vessel operators. AUTOLOAD is currently installed on AHTS, MSV, FPSO, semi-sub, jack-up & wind turbine installation vessels.

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Sable we are now planning to enlarge this platform to double its size.�

Following its construction of the first Polish built LNG carrier in May 2008, Remontowa SA has developed a strong foothold in the production of LNG propulsion vessels, with a contract for the construction of two specialist vessels intended for supplying oil mining and oil drilling rigs signed on 5th July 2013. Valued at nearly 100 million euros, the contract will be for the first supply vessels powered by LNG-fuelled engines; the vessels will be fully constructed in Gdansk and will be equipped with cutting edge navigation systems, including gas-electric propulsion, firefighting system Fi-Fi 2, advanced dynamical positioning system DP2 and facilities for the containment of oil spills. Confident that the successful completion of this innovative project will result in further orders from customers within this sector, the company plans to expand its operations further into the Norwegian LNG market.

Specialising in the offshore and ferry markets, the company is cautious about focusing on

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Profile: Remontowa SA

Landegode

Highland Defender

any core business area in a complex and ever changing industry and instead is keen to

modernisation of three Maersk vessels, Maersk Launcher, Maersk Lancer and Maersk Leader, which received improvements such as new

conversion of two fuel tanks into chain lockers.

Furthermore, Leader and Launcher had an additional anchor 170 T pull-handling winch

remain flexible. Recent projects in ship repair and conversion area include the upgrade and

working deck coverage, stern installed A-frames to facilitate heavy anchor handling and the

installed to ensure ultra-deep water anchor handling.

Another recent major project for Remontowa Shiprepair and Conversion involved the conversion of shuttle tanker Siri Knutsen into the world’s largest well-stimulation vessel (WSV), while also retaining its shutter tanker capabilities.

Up to 19 various major items of equipment, mainly well stimulation system components, have been installed as well as new dedicated piping and electrical systems. On top of this, Remontowa SA installed a new accommodation module to house quarters for additional crew of 18 and the well stimulation system control room.

All of the above activities require adherence to stringent health and safety standards.

Remontowa Group’s yards have developed their own safety departments that meet the highest offshore requirements. The yards also run their own, well-equipped Fire Brigade that serves both yards and the City of Gdásk if required.

Fully booked until mid 2015, and as vessels continue to require repairs or conversions, global energy demand continues to rise and the market for liquefied gas grows, the future looks positive for Remontowa. v

Remontowa SA www.remontowa.com.pl • Operators of Poland’s oldest and largest shipyard • Offers a range of ship repair and shipbuilding related services • Undisputed leader in gas-powered ferries in Northern Europe

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Ferry Port Split plc is the leading port services provider in the Port of Split, largest Croatian passenger port, and the third largest in the Meditteranean. With the commitment to excellence, international standards and customer satisfaction of more than 50 years, FPS provides a wide range of services, with the core activity being

passenger terminal operations in domestic and international traffic, maintenance and marine construction works. Due to its competence, innovation, contribution to maritime security and environmental protection, FPS is recognized as a strategic partner by the world’s premier industry operators.

For further information: Ferry Port Split plc Gat Sv. Duje 1, 21000 Split, Croatia Tel: +385 21 340930 Email: info@tls.hr www.trajektnalukasplit.hr

Profile: Port of Split City Port Basin

Expanding

T

he bustling city port of Split is Croatia’s largest passenger port and one of the largest in the Mediterranean. With number of passengers on the increase it is vital for the city that its port is able to manage the flow of goods and passengers effectively. At present the statutory task to the Port Authority of Split is the construction, maintenance and management of the Port of Split area. The key mission of the Port Authority is to provide excellent customer service to the businesses and residents on the Croatian islands as well as to the port’s increasing tourist traffic.

The Port’s location on the Adriatic coast has made it an important centre for local and international maritime travel, as managing director of the Split Port Authority, Milan Blazevski, explains: “One of our key strengths is a favourable position on the Adriatic coast, situated

horizons

in the heart of Europe. Split is located in the centre of the future EU's Adriatic-Ionian macroregion, and thus in a good position to benefit from the establishing of the EU’s Motorways of the Seas of southeast Europe. That will be a great opportunity for the Port of Split to improve both passenger and cargo services. Among our key strengths are possibilities of intermodal transport, so that both the freight and passenger parts of the port are connected to the railway and the road, which is close to the A1 motorway Split-Zagreb. Previous, ongoing and planned infrastructure investments should also prove to be our strengths.”

Currently the Port of Split boasts six port basins. City Port basin is designed to cater for the passenger transport and freight lorries passing through the port. Vranjic-Solin Basin is designed for cargo ships. Kastela A, B and C basins are designed for the needs in industry while Kastela

D basin is to serve as a hub for the transfer of passengers from the Split airport.

For a port as large and strategically placed as Split it is important that the Port Authority be able to recognise and adapt to the changing needs of region.

With heightened interest in the region as a tourist destination there has been an increase in the number of passengers using the port. During 2012 4,253,135 passengers travelled through the port, an increase of four per cent on 2011, while in 2010 the number was 4,109,881. Split itself saw an increase in cruise ship passengers of 35 per cent between 2011 and 2012, with the number of calls of cruise ships increasing by seven per cent. Milan observes: “The main customers are the residents and businesses from the Croatian coast and islands, the rest of Croatia and neighbouring countries. Important customers of the port are Croatian and foreign tourists. The

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Profile: Port of Split Vranjic-Solin Basin

dues paid by cruise ships and ships connecting the eastern and western coasts of the Adriatic Sea provide a significant part of our income.”

To meet the growing needs of the port’s clients Port of Split is currently involved in a multi-million Euro investment project, focusing on the expansion and development of the port.

Milan elaborates: “The Port of Split Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project is the largest project of the Port of Split Authority. It consists of the construction of two passenger berths for cruise ships and large ferries on the outer side of the breakwater. One berth will be 300 metres long while another berth will be 320 metres long.

Thus the port of Split will expand outside the current frame of the City Port Basin and the port capacity will be increased, which will relieve traffic congestion on the existing berths and provide more space for ferries, especially those that connect Split with Croatian islands. The investment, including the VAT, would amount to more than 23 million euro and will be funded by the 18.8 million euro EBRD loan.”

The expansion of internal berths 26 and 27 represents the beginning of the finalisation of the pier of the City Port basin. The investment of 4.7 million euros on upgrading berths 26 and 27 with two 140-metre long berths and two 30-metre wide unloading ramps has increased

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the operating area of the berths to 2770 square metres, which has led to a significant increase in passenger traffic capacity for the port.

Another current project is the construction of a fishing port and wholesale market in Komiza.

Working in conjunction with its partners - the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, the County of Split-Dalmatia and the City of Komiza, the Port Authority is currently working on a redraft of the project to ensure that it can be accountable towards public money while meeting the projects core principle of helping local fishermen to remain competitive while complying with European fisheries policy.

Throughout 2013 The Port of Split Authority Project Implementation Unit will focus on the public procurement procedure for infrastructure rehabilitation projects. It is also preparing an action plan for the adoption of the PERS, the only port-specific environmental management standard that is fully recognised by the ESPO. It is hoped by the Port Authority that it will soon be able to obtain the EcoPorts port standard.

The Port of Split is undoubtedly a dynamic economic hub, fuelled by its strategic location and increased tourist interest. However, even as the Port Authority works to ready the port for continued growth the port’s managing director retains an ambitious attitude regarding the port’s

future of the coming years, concluding that: “Five primary objectives set before the Port of Split Authority are: providing excellent port service for domestic traffic throughout the year, remaining the leading passenger port in connecting the eastern and western coasts of the Adriatic Sea, providing top quality service for cruise ships throughout the year in order to ensure that Split and the region remain an unavoidable destination in the Mediterranean, revitalising of geostrategic position of cargo parts of the port in order to substantially increase the competitiveness, and last but not least, that the Port of Split should become the backbone of the new development paradigm of Split and the region. I would like to point out that Split is a peninsula with two sea shores which will be used in the optimal way.” v

Port of Split www.portsplit.com • One of the largest passenger ports in the Mediterranean • Leading passenger port in connecting the eastern and western Adriatic coasts • Development contracts worth around 30 million euros

Profile: Parkol Marine Engineering Services

Built on

tradition P

arkol Marine Engineering continues in a long tradition of boat building and boat repair in Whitby, in the UK. From its wharf side position, the company provides a full range of modern services supported by the highest levels of craftsmanship and a dedication to customer service that is second to none.

With around 30 skilled craftspeople working for the company and many more sub contracting businesses, Parkol Marine has built a very strong team that features individuals with a wealth of experience in the shipbuilding and repair markets. This means it can undertake a variety of projects, from basic repairs to complicated designs and new builds. A great example of how Parkol Marine works and which illustrates its willingness to embrace new technology is a newly delivered white fish trawler called Our Lass III WY261. This was designed in York by Ian Paton of S C McAllister and built by Parkol Marine for Locker Trawlers, and one of the key reasons the owners ordered a new boat was to reduce running costs. Parkol Marine was able to deliver on this request, and the skippers have already been impressed by Our Lass III's fuel economy during trials. The level of fuel economy in itself appears to justify their decision and as oil prices are expected to go up, the savings can only increase.

In fact, ship designer Ian Paton has worked with Parkol since 1997, designing all the boats built to date. In this area the company will start with clients’ ideas, develop the concept, detail the design, and then follow through during production to assure that the resulting vessel will meet all expectations. The process includes the use of highly technical 3D computer modelling, as it is the most efficient and accurate means of defining hull form, and offers the business access to powerful design, visualisation, and analysis tools. This allows Parkol to optimise the design in terms of form, structure, performance, stability and sea keeping.

While designing and building commercial fishing trawlers such as Our Lass III is a major part of Parkol Marine’s business, the company is also experienced in the creation and repair of a range of other types of craft, including workboats,

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pleasure- and motor craft.

One example of the diversity of the vessels that have been created at the yard is the HM Bark Endeavour, a replica boat which is two-fifths the size of Captain Cook’s historical ship, and was built at Parkol Marine for Scarborough-based Colin and Rachael Jenkinson as a pleasure craft. This contract also highlights Parkol’s flexibility and ability to adapt, as traditional boat building skills were revived in the construction of the ship, using techniques that were around in Captain Cook’s day.

Over the years each of these newly built vessels has presented Parkol Marine with a fresh challenge. Its own highly skilled craftsmen and support staff have used their wealth of knowledge and experience to meet these challenges, helping to bring its clients' dreams to life.

Alongside the creation of these new vessels, Parkol Marine also runs a busy repair and refurbishment service. Its dry dock can accommodate vessels up to 42 metres or two smaller vessels at once and slip up to 70 vessels a year. It was built by its own staff in 1997 and then underwent a complete refurbishment at Sunderland in December

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Profile: Parkol Marine Engineering Services

2008. The dry dock is suitable for vessels up to five-metre draught and 10.5m beam, with plans for expansion.

The services on offer are wide ranging and include fabrication in steel, alloy, and stainless steel, refits including electrical and electronic

services, power cleaning, shot blasting and painting, all shipwright repairs, all types of deck machinery, trawl doors and door renewal, DTI surveys and insurance work. A prime example of its lead on making towing vessels more efficient is on a vessel called Devotion, who had her propeller and nozzle replaced with a new in house designed fuel-efficient system earlier this year. The nozzle was fabricated in Parkol Marine’s own workshop with the progress on the project updated regularly on the company’s comprehensive website: www.parkol.co.uk.

Devotion has since demonstrated a consistent 20 per cent saving in fuel and a significant noise reduction.

Over the past two decades, Parkol Marine has

worked hard to earn a reputation for build quality.

Today its name represents the commitment and dedication of everyone connected with the shipyard and its outstanding attention to quality.

By striving to deliver world class service every time, Parkol Marine can continue to create the sort of vessels one would expect to originate from a yard of this pedigree. v

Parkol Marine Engineering Services www.parkol.co.uk • Work to exacting standards • Reputation built on quality • Wide range of skills to draw upon

Kort Propulsion

Diamond Diesels (UK)

Kort Propulsion is pleased to have supplied Parkol with another Kort Tunnel Thruster. Kort carried out the calculations with its in-house technical team which includes a naval architect to ensure each vessel is equipped with the opium thruster and propeller package - in this case the KT170L was selected.

Parkol has chosen to work with Kort for main years due to the fact it offers a complete technical solution in a field in which it is proud to excel. Its main focus is to offer the yard and end user a complete solution at a competitive price. Kort is nearly reaching its 80th year severing the marine industry and is famously know for its part in the design and supply of the Kort Nozzle. It is looking forward to supporting Parkol for many more years to come.

Diamond Diesels (UK) Ltd is located in Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorkshire, and is the UK importer distributor of Mitsubishi Industrial and inboard marine diesel engines.

It covers Mitsubishi marine propulsion engines from 12-4000hp, Mitsubishi marine auxiliary engines from 106-2580kw and complete Mitsubishi marine auxiliary sets from 652-2358kva.

The latest Mitsubishi engine packages into Parkol Marine were for the MFV Virtuous and most recently the MFV Our Lass III, all with Mitsubishi S6R2 main propulsion, S6B3 auxiliary and 6D16 generator set engines.

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Profile: Oman Shipping Company

Local

expertise Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Berhad (MHB) Through its subsidiary Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Sdn Bhd (MMHE), MHB’s relationship with Oman Shipping Management Company (OSMC) signifies a fruitful venture. Built on mutual trust and MHB’s commitment to service excellence, MHB’s growing rapport with OSMC started with the successful repair and sail out of their 145,000 m³ Ibra LNG in 2007.

While OSMC remains on the move in the buoyant LNG sector, MHB is constantly busy providing their fleet with advanced and safe technical solutions across the board. MHB is thankful and proud to have successfully completed drydocking and repair works for five of their seven LNG vessels, which are an assortment of MOSS and membrane types. Completed in early May 2013, MHB’s latest job for OSMC – drydocking and repair works for Nizwa LNG – is commended by the superintendent-in-charge, with reference to the areas of project management and cost control.

Strategically located in South East Asia’s LNG hub and fully equipped with world-class expertise and facilities for LNG carrier repair and conversion, MHB strives to be OSMC’s partner of choice, with a commitment to keep their fleet running on course to meet their customers’ demands.

A

closed joint stock company, Oman Shipping Company (OSC) was incorporated in 2003 and is owned by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman through the Ministry of Finance (80 per cent) and the Oman Oil Company SAOC (20 per cent).

The business is involved in ship owning, ship chartering, and ship management activities through its wholly owned subsidiary companies Oman Charter Company, Oman Ship Management Company and Oman Container Lines.

Since the launch of the commercial operation of OSC in 2003, the company has increased its fleet to 43 vessels, including taking delivery of 14 vessels in 2012. In addition the company has one LNG carrier still under construction increasing its fleet to 44 vessels and around eight million deadweight tonnes by 2014, once the remaining vessels have been delivered as per the current plans of the company.

Since it was last featured in Shipping and Marine, OSC has taken delivery of its third and fourth Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC) vessels.

The third, the ‘Vale Saham’, was delivered on

4th January 2013. This vessel will be used in the transportation of iron ore from Brazil to Sohar, Oman.

‘Vale Saham’ was built by the Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries Company in Nantong, China, and adopts an environmentally friendly design to lower oil consumption and reduce the emission of CO2 while its operating efficiency exceeds that of the most existing ore carriers. With its Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) recorded at approximately 1.99 during sea trials, the Rongsheng-built VLOC is in line with low-carbon green product initiatives and meets the benchmark requirements on emission reduction set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that came into effect as of January 2013.

Just three months after the delivery of ‘Vale Saham’, the fourth VLOC - ‘Vale Shinas’ - was delivered to OSC on the 30th March 2013. This vessel is also being used to transport iron ore from Brazil to Sohar, and adheres to the same green standards as the ‘Vale Saham.’ With this vessel OSC has completed taking delivery of all the four VLOCs, which were ordered with Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries.

In the last article on OSC, the then CEO of

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Profile: Oman Shipping Company

Oman Ship noted that these vessels would be managed from Muscat, by OSC’s subsidiary Oman Ship Management Company (OSMC).

OSMC is an ISO 9001 and 14001 certified company, with a very good health and safety record and a dedicated approach to high standards of quality and customer service.

OSMC currently manages 24 vessels ‘in-house’.

Another of the OSC subsidiaries, Oman Container Lines, also saw an exciting new development when it announced the launch of the ‘Gulf Express’ service. With a fixed weekly frequency and a port rotation of Muscat, Sohar, Jebel Ali and back to Muscat, the new service has been designed to improve its customers’ regional coverage and allow liner customers the fastest transit and connection times possible, when shipping to the Upper Gulf.

Allowing for a broader coverage of the Upper Gulf market directly from the main East/West shipping lane, the Gulf Express feeder fills a gap in the market currently only serviced by a few lines. This new offering from Oman Container Lines also allows shipping lines that do not currently have a dedicated regional network to participate in some of the highest growth markets in the world today.

One of the issues that OSC highlighted in its last feature was the problem of recruitment in the maritime market, especially on very large vessels, and the approach the company was taking to handle this challenge. Its human

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resources approach is based on employing qualified and experienced people of different nationalities, although first priority is given to Omani nationals. Indeed, one of OSC’s key ambitions is the Omanisation of its seafaring staff as the organisation is keen to employ local people. The company’s level of Omanisation, including qualified Omani Seagoing Officers, remarkably increased to 83 per cent by June 2013 compared to 74 per cent in 2008, indicating that its new methods were seeing success. The company has established procedures and created interview panels for recruiting candidates who meet the job requirements and are able to perform under challenging conditions.

In addition, OSC started sponsoring cadets in 2003 as a long-term solution to this challenge.

Over 128 cadets have been sponsored for specialised maritime studies leading to a Certificate of Competence in either deck or engine disciplines. The first four batches of students were sent to South Tyneside College in the UK, a marine college that is known around the world for its quality of maritime training. In 2007, in addition to sending students to South Tyneside College, the company started sending students to the International Maritime College in Oman, which is the first and only maritime college in Oman and GCC offering diploma and degree programmes in the marine industry.

Over 30 cadets have already graduated,

obtained the Certificate of Competency and joined the company’s vessels as seagoing officers. They are now sailing onboard vessels and following a promising career path.

It is clear from its dedication to furthering the careers of its Omani cadets that OSC is determined that its operations are going to bring benefits to not only its shareholders, but also to the wider community and indeed Oman as a whole. Going forward, the company is determined that it will continue to offer intelligent global transport solutions that directly benefit Oman’s national economy.

Also at the top of the agenda is a focus on reliability, profitability and economic stability, alongside maintaining operations that are safe, ethical and environmentally responsible. OSC is also an active supporter of the ‘Save our Seafarers campaign’, which calls for unified action to raise awareness of the human and economic cost of piracy. The combination of these strategies looks set to ensure OSC’s reputation for excellence continues to be upheld and even improved over the coming years. v

Oman Shipping Company www.omanship.co.om • Last two VLOCs delivered in 2013 • One LNG carrier still under construction, due for delivery in Aug 2014 • ‘Gulf Express’ container service commenced in 2012

Profile: Ultratug

A skilled

partner W

ith nearly five decades of experience to draw upon, today Ultratug provides reliable and efficient harbour towage and assistance, as well as support services to the offshore oil industry.

Jan Vermeij, CEO at the family business, recently spoke to Shipping & Marine, and he began by sharing some details about its operations: “Today Ultratug is present in seven countries in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay) throughout subsidiaries and/or affiliated companies, which in many cases involve local partners with vast experience in the maritime sector of their respective markets,” he began.

“We provide services in three main areas – harbour towage services rendered in six countries in South America, offshore support services provided to the oil industry in Argentina and Brazil, and special operations and salvage. Our customers vary depending on the industry; so for example, for harbour towage services we work with liner companies, tramp owners and operators in the dry bulk and tanker segments, LNG and oil terminals and specialised dry bulk terminals. In terms of the

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We have a highly professional team, both on harbour towage and offshore, the members of which have extensive industry and technical knowhow and a strong emphasis on customer service

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offshore industry we currently provide services to the main oil companies operating in the region, such as Petrobras, Apache, ENAP, Total and Anadarko among others.”

Ultratug’s experience is key to its success; the business has a vast amount of knowledge in the offshore and marine sectors, and Jan highlighted the benefits of this: “Ultratug is committed to

providing first class services on the basis of modern equipment, high SQE (safety, quality and environment) standards, professionalism and long-term relationships,” he explained. “We have a highly professional team, both on harbour towage and offshore, the members of which have extensive industry and technical knowhow and a strong emphasis on customer service. Due to our long history we have a wide industry network at local, regional and international levels, and extensive port coverage. Also important to note is that we are blessed with a strong entrepreneurial culture and reputation that is underpinned by the Ultramar Group of companies.”

Alongside these attributes, Ultratug strengthens its position in the market through the employment of state-of-the-art technology. Said Jan: “Ultratug has been investing consistently over the recent years in order to modernise the fleet, incorporating technology such as ASD propulsion, increased engine power and deck equipment to meet the growing requirements of specialised terminals and shipowners employing bigger and bigger vessels. Over the last five years for example, Ultratug has invested in the construction of 20 new build ASD tugs of bollard pull ranging from 45 to 70 tons. They have been built in ASENAV Shipyard in Chile and the SIMA shipyard in Perú, where a long working relationship has been established that allows us to incorporate all the special features and characteristics that are obtained from our operational experience.”

As a consequence of this approach Ultratug has a diverse fleet that allows it to offer a range of services. In the offshore field the company provides clients with offshore support services

Profile: Ultratug

in Argentina and Brazil, operating four AHTS vessels in the Argentine market and 18 OSVs in the Brazilian offshore market. “In the fast growing Brazilian offshore market, five years ago together with our partner Wilson Sons, we established a joint venture company called Wilson Sons Ultratug Offshore (WSUT),” Jan commented.

“Today that business owns and operates a fleet of 15 modern PSVs and three AHTS. Most of these have modern and fuel-efficient diesel electric engines with ASD propulsion systems and dynamic positioning (DP – 1 and DP - 2).

These vessels are the work horses of the offshore support vessels, and therefore our high operational procedures and SQE standards are critical in order to provide an efficient and reliable service that meets the increasing requirements of the oil industry.”

Alongside these activities, Ultratug owns and operates a fleet of 56 harbour tugs. These vessels are largely modern, with an average age of 12 years and an average bollard pull of 50 tons. Due to the profile of the fleet Ultratug is able

to meet the growing requirements of shipowners in South American ports, where increasingly large vessels are being deployed. It is also able to work for clients in the more demanding or niche areas of specialised LNG, oil and mineral terminals.

“In recent years, the energy needs in some South American countries has been met through imported LNG,” Jan explained. “To this end, new LNG import terminals and/or import facilities with FSRUs (Floating Storage Regasification Units) have been developed. The berthing and unberthing assistance to LNG vessels is quite demanding in terms of harbour tugs specifications and Ultratug has been very active in this new business segment levering its modern fleet, professional and well-trained crews and high SQE standards.”

In addition to these areas, Ultratug has also performed a large number of successful towage and salvage operations in the very harsh conditions of the South Pacific, South Atlantic and channels in the South Patagonia. Here again Ultratug has the experience, the equipment and trained crews and personnel to provide fast, reliable and effective assistances to vessels in a situation of distress.

Through its combination of history and experience, coupled with the latest technology, Ultratug has achieved considerable success in the South American sector.

However the company is always looking for

new challenges and as Jan explained, further expansion is planned for the business for the coming years. Most recently, Ultratug - with joint venture partners, Schandy of Uruguay and Grupo ETE of Portugal – has entered the fluvial transport segment in Uruguay. A fleet of two push tugs of 45 tons BP and four barges of 5000 dwt will be deployed during the fourth quarter of 2013 in order to transport about two million tons of Eucalyptus. The logs will be used a raw material for the production of wood pulp in the new, modern facility of Montes del Plata (MdP) located in Punta Pereira in Uruguay and this contract represents a new chapter for Ultratug.

In conclusion, Jan summarised Ultratug’s long-term strategy: “Our main challenges and strategic goals can be summarised in two parts.

On the one hand, we must constantly improve our services and operational standards in order to strengthen the position in the current markets in which we operate, and on the other hand identify and seize opportunities to expand into other countries in the Americas. These will be our main drivers moving forwards,” he said. v

Ultratug www.ultratug.com • Focus on high quality, safety and environmental standards • Vast amount of experience in-house • Moving into fluvial transport sector

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Profile: Port of Southampton

Setting the

standards We have long been the leading cruise port in the UK and it was announced in July 2013 that we are now the leading port in Europe for turnaround cruises

O

wned by Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s largest port company, the port of Southampton plays a vital role in the regional economy and the UK’s maritime environment as a whole.

At approximately 725 acres, the port offers a sheltered location, the best rail and road distribution links to the Midlands and is the only port in the country to build multi-storey car parks, with its fourth opened recently and a fifth being built for September. Proud to offer high quality service and productivity, it is the most efficient container terminal in the UK and was recently announced as the leading port in Europe for turnaround cruises.

Despite its major successes, the port is keen to retain its reputation for setting the standards, with ABP and joint venture partner DP World Southampton launching a £150 million investment project to ensure the port can meet future demand.

“The port of Southampton is most famous for the three Cs, cruises, cars and containers. We have long been the leading cruise port in the UK and it was announced in July 2013 that we are now the leading port in Europe for turnaround cruises. We are also number one for cars and estimate 750,000 vehicle movements this year, which is up around 50 per cent from what it was two years ago,” enthuses Doug Morrison, director at the port of Southampton. “We have enjoyed amazing growth and the main reason for this is that we are the first and last deep sea port of call in Northern Europe, with the growth coming from emerging markets in the Far East. We are also the second largest container terminal in the UK, but we aim to be number one for efficiency, the same as we are for cruise and cars.”

Already able to take on the largest container ships in the world, ABP’s strategic investment plan centres around the merger of berths 201/202 on the Western Dock’s container

terminal to create a new berth, the SCT 5. This development will allow the container terminal the ability to service four of the next generation ultra large container carriers (ULCCs) at the same time. Predicted to account for over 50 per cent of the world’s container fleet capacity by 2015, the ULCCs need the high levels of productivity and short turnaround times that Southampton port already offers. “Ships are getting bigger, whether it is car ships, cruise ships or container ships, vessels are growing. This is why we are building for the future, not just for today,” says Doug. Furthermore, the new berth is a key part of ABP’s ambitions to increase handling capacity up to 2.7 million TEU a year. With work due for completion in December 2013, the berth will be fully operational by January 2014.

The £150 million project comprises of a range of elements, such as deepening works, gantry cranes and dredging. Despite challenges related to deepening the berth pocket to a minimum of 16 metres, works at the port are currently

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Cooper SH Cooper SH Ltd are the UK’s largest independent supplier of port handling equipment encompassing supply and support of heavy capacity lift trucks, masted container handlers and reachstackers originating from Konecranes in Sweden and a full complement of hydraulic material handlers supplied by Mantsinen of Finland.

Cooper SH are the supplier of heavy lift trucks to ABP Southampton and reachstackers and maintenance provider to ABP’s rail freight terminal located in Hams Hall, Birmingham.

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still on time and on budget, with dredging of the Channel adjacent to the Mayflower terminal recently completed. ABP is now looking to begin dredging the approach channel in Autumn 2013, following approval from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to improve marine access to the port. “Dredging at the Mayflower terminal, which was undertaken to widen a particular bridge point in the port by 30 metres, was completed a few months ago. We are now beginning work off the Isle of Wight to the Nab Channel following the approval from the MMO, but because our in-house dredger is too small to operate in the main channel we are out to tender and will award the contract in August 2013,” says Doug.

Although the port benefits from a unique double tide that ensures wide access for shipping, requirements for deeper drafted vessels to call at its facilities has caused access limitations. The work will involve the main navigational channel being deepened from its current minimum depth of 12.6 metres; the channel will also be widened to 100 metres in

Profile: Port of Southampton

safety and navigation improvements and aid in the security of 12,000 existing port-related jobs by ensuring the port remains viable and competitive. “The dredging is for when the economy has recovered and ships are coming back fully laden,” says Doug. “At the moment I don’t see the dredge causing any issues in the foreseeable future, what with the volume of ships not yet where I would like it to be.”

Dedicated to continuous investment, the port of Southampton will remain focused on cruising, cars and containers, as Doug concludes: “In relation to the container business, we are the best located and most efficient and we need to make sure we are on par with our competitors as far as marine access is concerned. We are number one in Europe for cruises, and number one in the UK for cars and efficiency and will

certain areas to reduce congestion as vessels pass each other as they approach or exit the port. The dredging works will also result in

continue to invest further to stay number one.

We aim to invest in the longer term too and are currently evaluating the building of a fifth cruise terminal as we anticipate in excess of 1.6 million passengers by the end of 2013. On top of this, we are always looking to expand our acreage in the port and that will continue to happen.” v

Port of Southampton www.abports.co.uk • £150 million redevelopment of container terminal • Berths 201/202 being merged to create SCT 5 • SCT5 will be able to service four ULCCs simultaneously

MIDAS CONSTRUCTION Associated British Ports (ABP) has awarded Midas Construction, based in Romsey (Southern office), the contract to build an electrical substation in the Port of Southampton. The substation will provide power to reconstruction works creating a facility to service the next generation of super sized container ships. The project is the latest of several carried out by Midas for ABP in the past three years.

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Exciting

developments

O

pportunity knocks everywhere,� enthuses Duncan Gaskin, sales director of Bestobell LNG. “We have seen a significant increase in demand for our valves during 2013 , and the following years look like they will be busier still. The LNG market is booming, so we will be looking to double our intake for the business in 2014 and then step up again the year after. It really is a great time for us as a company and we intend to maximise our opportunities wherever we can.� Bestobell is a specialist manufacturer of cryogenic valves for the marine industry, based in Sheffield, England. They distribute high quality products across the globe through a network of agents in key countries, thus making it one of the most recognised names in the marine cryogenic valve industry.

With a range of products that are proving well placed to service the marine industry, the company has fitted over 25,000 individual

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Profile: Bestobell LNG

products to over 140 ships such as LNG carriers, floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) as well as vessels that utilise LNG as a fuel source. Bestobell is currently working on numerous projects, across different sectors of the marine LNG industry and that is set to increase as it heads into 2014. The company is anticipating increased demand in locations such as China, Japan, the US and Korea, as Duncan explains: “With the number of ships already ordered this year in Korea, China and Japan, it is probably going to be the second highest on record. We are also seeing increased demand from the Japanese yards because of the need for Japanese power companies’ to import LNG from America. Once President Obama approves the projects it is anticipated that upwards of 50 ships will be required to export shale gas, many of which will be constructed in Japan, but also in Korea, so the demand for LNG carriers is going to go through the roof in the next 12-24 months.

Already slots for 2016 and 2017 are filling up quickly so there is going to be a real battle for owners to secure the slots they want.”

Having received several notable projects throughout 2012, the world expert and innovator in cryogenic design and manufacture has been enhancing its presence in China with a $2.5 million contract to supply Bestobell cryogenic valves to Hudong Shipyard in Shanghai, the only shipyard to build LNG vessels so far in China. This was for the four MOL owned vessels that are to be chartered by ExxonMobil.

To increase potential for future business in this growing market the company has strengthened its relationship with their local agent in the country, as Duncan highlights: “Over the next six months, with China Shipping set to build six ships for China Shipping and Jiangnan Shipyard, and Cosco Dalian Shipyard making their break into small scale LNG newbuilds, we are putting a lot of effort into securing business opportunities. We are also looking to sign an agreement with a Chinese tank manufacturer who will be involved in the supply of LNG fuel systems for Yangtze river vessels.” The contract offers a huge opportunity for ongoing work within China for Bestobell LNG, as the Chinese Government focuses on attempting to convert as many ships as possible on the river to LNG. Boasting dedicated valve manufacturing facilities occupying 30,000 square feet, Bestobell LNG has developed a strong reputation for product innovation, reliability and engineering excellence, with some cryogenic valves still in use despite being installed more than 40 years ago. The company offers a complete range of fire-safe cryogenic valves for conventional membrane/moss sphere designed LNG cargo carriers. These include miniature needle globe valves for sampling and purging lines, a unique patented float level isolation valve (FLIV), which isolates the secondary float level gauge on top of each tank; the cryogenic hydraulic driven throttling valves and a comprehensive range of on/off globe, lift check and swing check valves used in the LNG distribution pipework.

Following a number of projects that proved Bestobell LNG’s level of expertise, product quality and commitment to excellent customer service, the company was chosen as a preferred supplier to Wärtsilä Gas Power Systems (GPS), Finland-headquartered global leader in gas power solutions for the energy and marine markets. “We have now signed a partnership with Wärtsilä to be their preferred supplier of cryogenic valves that will be used in their LNGPac fuel systems; we will supply all of the low pressure valves for Wärtsilä’s ongoing LNG fuel system projects. That business is already starting to increase significantly and we are expecting that trend to increase over the next 12 months,” says Duncan.

Another big development for the company is the requirement for cryogenic valves on the Man

The demand for LNG carriers is going to go through the roof in the next 12-24 months. Already slots for 2016 and 2017 are filling up quickly so there is going to be a real battle for owners to secure the slots they want

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Profile: Bestobell LNG

B&W two-stroke gas-injection engine, following a recent order for two LNG carriers powered by two 5G70ME-GI engines from Teekay LNG and TOTE announcing it had ordered two 3100 TEU newbuild container ships, each powered by an 8L70MEGI engine in December 2012. Bestobell is currently developing the design of high pressure valves needed for the fuel systems on these engines. On top of this, this innovative firm will be participating in the project to construct the world’s first LNG bunker tanker, as Duncan elaborates: “A new market has opened up with a project awarded in China by Jahre Marine for the world’s first LNG bunker barge and we are working with the company who is supplying the tanks and cargo handling systems for the vessels. We anticipate this market to grow massively over the next three to five years as the demand for LNG as a fuel takes off.”

The future looks bright for Bestobell LNG, as it prepares for the increased demand for its services, which will lead to further recruitment and a potential new facility, as Duncan concludes: “We are in such a good position: right industry, right time, right products. To keep up with demand we are looking into a new facility for LNG marine valve production and will also be investing in manpower and equipment. We are looking to expand locally in Sheffield, but if we are to maximise our opportunities in China we will need a local manufacturing presence there too.” v

Bestobell LNG www.bestobell-lng.com • 50 years experience in cryogenic valve design and manufacture • Involved in the world’s first LNG bunker tanker • Anticipating a massive boom period

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Profile: Suez Canal Container Terminal

A hub of

activity L

ocated in Port Said, Egypt, at the mouth of the Suez Canal leading out into the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) is a major transshipment hub for the Eastern region of the Mediterranean and a gateway port for local cargoes in Egypt. Established in 1999, the terminal became operational in 2004 as a private joint venture with operator APM Terminals holding a majority share of 55 per cent, Cosco Pacific with 20 per cent, Suez Canal Authority with 10.3 per cent, National Bank of Egypt five per cent and the Egyptian Private Sector with 9.7 per cent.

Commitment to infrastructure and terminal development is a core element of APM Terminal’s long-term strategy, with a wide range of new terminal development and existing terminal expansion projects underway at some

of the 69 ports and terminal facilities it has interests in. SCCT, the largest container terminal in Egypt, is currently benefitting from an ongoing multi-million dollar investment programme for its expansion and development known as Phase II. Boasting five Noell and 13 ZPMC quay cranes, 58 rubber tired gantry cranes (RTGs), five in-bound lanes, one outbound lane, 2400 metres of quay and a year round draft capability of 15 metres, SCCT’s state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure enabled it to handle more than three million TEUs in 2011. This number is set to increase to 5.4 million TEUs following the successful completion of Phase II, which will also result in a the number of quay cranes at the facility doubled to a total of 24, the number of RTGs increased to 67 and a total of seven lanes in operation at the terminal. The major investment has also increased productivity with cutting edge technology and expanded the terminal’s service offering to the refrigerated trade with 1500 more refrigerated plugs.

As SCCT has now almost finished its Phase II expansion, the quay length has already been

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doubled to reach 2400 metres, the number of RTGs has been increased to 58 and the quay cranes are now 18 (five Noell and 13 ZPMC).

Competitively able to serve the largest containerships in the world, the terminal’s quay cranes are capable of lifting 65 tonnes, with a reach of 22 container rows and heights of up to 40 metres above the rail. Meanwhile, SCCT’s RTGs are able to move around the terminal to stack containers for storage, loading and unloading truck chassis as containers are brought in and out of the terminal. To further improve services, Phase II has offered customers quicker entry into the terminal with

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two more in-bound lanes and increased security such as X-ray security scanning. Furthermore, SCCT is also due to receive two new quay cranes in the fourth quarter of 2013, with the largest specs ever in the industry.

The completion of Phase II will cement SCCT’s status as the largest hub in the Mediterranean by 2015, enabling the terminal to offer an enhanced service to the world’s largest vessels through the leverage of location, accessibility and reliability. The state-of-theart facility, currently able to serve the largest containerships in the world, will also be able to keep up with demands for bigger vessels within

the shipping and marine industry.

With major shipping lines such as Maersk, CMA-CGM, CKYH and G6 as returning customers at the terminal SCCT aims to be recognised as the most efficient, reliable and cost effective hub in the Mediterranean.

Currently, 15 per cent of cargo comes in and out of Egypt from the port, which is due to the terminal’s unique location and its strong focus on continuous improvement via total productive maintenance and process excellence.

In October 2012, SCCT hosted two successful navigational trials to test port access and turning basins for 15,500 TEU vessels, with the Eleonora Maersk used for the first trial; the vessel arrived fro the Suez Canal’s North Bound Convoy, with a draft of 14.9 metres, berthed alongside then safely re-joined the convoy to continue her voyage West. The second trial involved the 397 metres Edith Maersk, which completed a 180 degree manoeuvre in the turning basin with a draft of 14.8 metres with the aid of three tug boats. The latter trial was the first time any Egyptian port had received a vessel of this size, becoming a significant moment in Egyptian maritime history. Following

Profile: Suez Canal Container Terminal

FDT FDT (Fabricacion y Desarrollo de Trailers), a Spanish manufacturer for equipment brand Fabrisem in seaports, industry and logistics centres, is currently working in the terminals of over 20 countries. There is no doubt SCCT from APM group terminals is one of its best customers.

Its relationship began right after the terminal was opened in 2004. Fabrisem was awarded with the supply of 18 cornerless trailers as well as several roll trailers for specific uses. Later Fabrisem supplied 29 cornerless trailers more for 65 tons to work in twin lift way.

Fabrisem is proud to have SCCT as a customer. As a result of this relationship an important agreement has been reached this year by virtue of which, the delivery of spare parts is being more flexible and precise.

container vessels in the world. In addition, the first commercial/regular call by a 15,500 TEU vessel was on May 24 by the Ebba Maersk.

Looking to the future, SSCT will continue with the completion of Phase II, which will result in a hugely positive impact in global trade and the Egyptian economy by injecting new jobs into the country, doubling the number of jobs, training and development of skills of local Port Said personnel. As the shipping industry continues to evolve with bigger boats and more sophisticated demands, the investments at SCCT have ensured it will still serve as a key link between the Far East and European trade. v the two successful trials, SCCT is now open for vessels with a LOA of 397 metres and beam of 56.4 metres.

Focused on health and safety, SCCT’s navigational trials ensured it was fully prepared for emergencies such as the urgent docking of the Emma Maersk in February 2013; the vessel suffered mechanical issues as she prepared to enter the southbound convoy through the Suez Canal. At 15,500 TEU, she is one of the largest

Suez Canal Container Terminal www.scct.com.eg • The biggest container terminal in Egypt • Able to serve the largest containerships in the world • Multi-million dollar investment in progress

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Leading the

D

utch ship and project management firm Workships Contractors is a leading asset manager for the offshore oil and gas and renewables sectors, with almost 25 years of experience in managing drilling and service platforms, crewing, vessels, procurement, vessel audits and concept development. Using its expertise and innovation in operating a wide range of rigs in strategic locations across the globe, such as semi submersible drilling rigs in the North Sea and Brazil, dynamic positioned accommodation vessels in Mexico as well as anchor handling and platform supply vessels world-wide, the company takes pride in providing its clients and stakeholders with a high quality service.

Viewing each vessel as individual, Workships Contractors offers tailored management services as required by the owner and traditionally gets

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way

involved in unique projects that benefit from the company’s versatility. Through forming close working relationships and co-operating closely with owners and clients, Workships Contractors ensures the development of bridging documents; requirements and management system responsibilities are shared easily.

Seeing an opportunity to expand its service offering, Workships Contractors began operating as an asset manager for the offshore wind industry with its wholly managed subsidiary Offshore Wind Services BV (OWS) in 2006.

Established as a joint venture between Workships and Netherlands based Royal Doeksen, OWS provides quality crew transfer vessels, accommodation barges, jack-ups and data solutions to the offshore wind sector.

In 2012 in line with Workship’s strategic objective of becoming a leading provider of quality crew transfer, OWS acquired Offshore

Wind Power Marine Services (OWPMS), one of the best known operators in the offshore wind crew transfer industry. A pioneer in the safe transfer of crew to offshore wind farms located in the UK, OWPMS is one of the longest serving companies in the industry and has outstanding experience of operating more than 300,000 safe transfers.

To further enhance its presence in the offshore wind market, Wind Contractors has announced a co-operation between Frisia Offshore and Offshore Wind Services for the Dutch and German offshore wind markets and their plans to invest in new CTVs as part of a new joint venture in 2013. By increasing the number of vessels, the joint venture anticipates becoming the quality provider of safe and reliable personal transfers in Europe. In the company’s last article with Shipping & Marine magazine, operations manager Philip Woodcock explained the mutual

Profile: Workships Contractors

benefits further: “For Workships Contractors it will be an important first step into Germany, strengthening its name as a workboats operator across Northern Europe and forming an important part in its future objectives; for Frisia Offshore, it means a strong partner outside of Germany.”

Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and designed to transport personnel and equipment comfortably and safely to offshore wind turbines, the company’s fleet is specifically targeted for wind farm projects throughout Europe, with new larger vessels coming on stream also built to conform to other European member state rules. The newest addition to the OWS’s fleet, Offshore Wenduine (OW3), was converted into a multi-purpose catamaran work boat by shipyard Den Breejen under the supervision of Workships Contractors. The conversion was completed at the end of April 2013 and the vessel completed her first deployment for Ampelmann Assisting in the testing of Ampelmann L-type access system and SSC in the same month.

Offshore Wenduine was constructed to become an ideal vessel for diving support projects but can be adapted for survey and cable works. Specifications include a forward moonpool hatch with staircase into the waster, aft stairs, survey desk with two seats, a 19 inch rack for survey equipment and tracks to allow easy fitting of project specific equipment, such as a desk; two anchors with the possibility of increasing to four-point mooring, large storage space and lockers, KPM DNV-classed suspension seats, all with a table tray and power sockets, USB charger and day & night lights.

Over the coming years, Workships Contractors is focusing on its objective of becoming the service provider of choice for all of the industries it operates in. Within offshore wind, the company plans to further increase its fleet with larger CTVs, accommodation solutions for construction and O&M, both in DPII and moored configurations, the former of which is being designed in cooperation with DAMEN shipyards. Once this step is complete, the company will expand its service offering with complete O&M solutions. v

Workships Contractors www.workships.nl • Currently operating ten crew transfer vessels with the aim to expand • Acquired OWPMS in March 2012 • Developing a strong partnership with Frisia Offshore

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Growth strategy

B

ased in Middlesbrough, PD Ports operates Teesport, the UK’s best connected feeder port and the premier North East container port. It also offers customer solutions at a number of other key locations including Hartlepool, Felixstowe and the Humber Estuary.

At the heart of the operations is a multi-award winning ports and logistics business, which as Jerry Hopkinson, managing director – bulks, ports and logistics explained, is both sizeable and dynamic, and includes handling 34 million tonnes of cargo a year, acting as the statutory harbour authority on the River Tees, and providing employment for 1250 people.

Jerry highlighted the three historical core areas of the PD Ports business as the commodity markets of steel, oil and chemicals, and explained that the company’s future growth strategy involves building new opportunities in other markets that can be added on to those existing foundations, including renewable energy and containers.

He began with the steel industry, which has been revitalised by the re-opening of the blast furnace at Redcar by SSI and the consequent resumption of steel making on the River Tees.

“From a standing start about 12 months ago, production has now surpassed 2.5 million tonnes of finished steel slab being exported through

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Teesport, which is a remarkable achievement,” said Jerry.

“I believe this has been the first time ever that a non-operational blast furnace has been brought back to life and in such a vital way. For the Tees Valley the impact of this has been absolutely profound,” he continued. “I know it’s easy to make these kinds of statements in business but we genuinely are very proud and enthused to be associated with it and we can now foresee the regeneration in the steel industry in the North East.”

Jerry moved onto the second area of focus for the company, which is continued growth of its container business. “In a nutshell we have grown this part of our business at a time when other ports have seen substantial deterioration in volumes, particularly of containerised lift on/lift off cargoes. The way that we have created this success is by developing the portcentric platform, through Teesport.”

PD Ports is now the leading edge portcentric logistics provider in the UK, with a dedicated logistics function called PD Portcentric Logistics, which aims to save time and money, reduce environmental impact and change the way customers think about logistics.

PD Ports’ reasoning behind the portcentric concept is logical – why import goods destined for the north of the UK via ports located in the

south of the country? “To that end a number of major retailers and logistics services providers, such as Asda Walmart, Tesco, Taylors of Harrogate and Clipper Logistics, have established large scale facilities either in Teesport itself or in very close proximity to Teesport, from which the concept can be put into practice. So the containers that come into these distribution centres are literally coming in through Teesport, where formerly they were coming in through the southern ports and being trucked or railed up to the north,” said Jerry.

The development of the portcentric concept is an on-going process for PD Ports, and it is working very hard on both expanding it and refining it. “This is in terms of the scope, extent and relative depth of the services we are providing, and we see that as quite critical to our continued growth in that sector,” Jerry added.

The third area of expansion is in the energy sector, and covers two different (but equally green) fuel sources: wind and biomass. “We see real opportunities for our ports business to become more deeply engaged in the energy sector, especially considering the government’s plans to decarbonise the UK energy production,” Jerry explained. “Our port at Hartlepool has very successfully acted as the logistics hub for the Tees Bay wind farm and what this has demonstrated is that Teesside and Hartlepool

Profile: PD Ports

in particular, can be a major centre for the consolidation and load out of wind turbines. We can provide large-scale areas of storage - which is essential given that each one of these turbines when erected is about the same size as the Gherkin in London - which is aligned to freely and openly workable quaysides with lock free access to the sea. We have done this project through Hartlepool virtually without making any significant changes to the infrastructure, and ultimately I think turbine manufacturing facilities could be created on the site as well.”

Added Jerry: “Staying with energy, the other big opportunity that we are currently contemplating is the provision of large scale facilities for the importation of biomass. As power generators switch from burning coal to either co-firing with biomass or converting coal fired boilers to burn biomass, the UK will need to import millions of tons of sustainable feedstock from abroad, most notably North and South America. This is going to require big ships and big volumes, and PD Ports could be a vital partner in this industry.”

The opportunities highlighted by Jerry not only have immense possibilities for PD Ports, but also for the Tees Valley and the North East of the UK

as a whole. “We certainly see ourselves as first and foremost a successful business, but as a result we can also be a real driver of regeneration in the North East,” said Jerry.

“Therefore we are very keen to bring young people into the business and grow our own expertise. We have introduced staff training and education programmes that allow employees to gain valuable experience and skills as well as furthering personal development within the business.”

As a catalyst for this, PD Ports has been centrally involved in the establishment of High Tide, a charitable foundation, created and driven by businesses on the River Tees, to raise aspirations and improve education and employment opportunities for young people on Teesside.

Jerry concluded: “What we want to do is continue to grow a successful and profitable business, and through doing that, generate opportunities for people. We have got a moral sensibility at the heart of what we are doing, and that actually sits very easily alongside our business sensibilities.” v

PD Ports PD Portcentric Logistics www.pdports.co.uk www.pdportcentriclogistics.co.uk • Created successful portcentric concept • Sees great potential in the energy industry, both onshore and offshore • Dedicated to the regeneration of northeast

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Skandi Commander

New

endeavours Diesel-powered sea-going icebreaker

124- -www.shippingandmarine.co.uk www.shippingandmarine.co.uk 54

O

ne of the largest shipbuilding companies in Northwest Russia, Vyborg Shipyard JSC (VSY) has spent the last 65 years since its inception constructing more than 200 vessels from a range of industries with deadweight up to 9000 tonnes and total displacement of over 1,550,000 tonnes.

Employing more than 1500 staff, VSY today is the only shipyard in Russia to specialise in offshore shipbuilding and the only shipyard in North and Northwest Russia to meet the stringent regulatory expectations of Rosneft, the leader of Russia’s petroleum industry, and other potential customers in the oil and gas market. “VSY now specialises in

civil shipbuilding only,” states Alexander Solovyev, managing director of Vyborg Shipyard. “Our main activities are the construction of small and medium tonnage and offshore drilling rigs; future prospects include the construction of deep sea semi-submersible floating drilling rigs (SSFDR) and production platforms for oil and gas offshore exploration, the construction of stationary production platforms, new generation deep sea jack-ups, ice breakers, ice class vessels, and the construction of offshore modules, such as LNG plants, underwater stations and windfarms.”

Boasting a production complex and water enabling area unique to other shipyards in Russia, the shipyard has an indoor construction area

Profile: Vyborg Shipyard Edda Flora

Vitus Bering

Skandi Texel

of 64,000 square metres, outdoor construction area of 18,500 square metres, quay length of 250 – 300 metres and water depth of 9.5 metres.

For the transportation of large equipment and separate sections, the shipyard uses multiwheel trailers capable of carrying 100 – 300 tonnes; meanwhile, a specific train with non self-propelled trolleys and a maximum carrying capacity of 4500 tonnes transports ship hulls.

Keen to retain and expand its foothold in the oil and gas market, particularly in upcoming Arctic operations, VSY has performed modernisation works on its hull production facilities, which has resulted in the installation of automatic Rosler line for all-round shotblasting and shop priming

of rolled plates; the rearrangement and upgrade of cold cutting floors and the commissioning of advanced shotblasting and painting cells for its hull blocks in 2010. Furthermore, a semisubmersible barge/ floating dock is nearing completion at the shipyard, which will put the barge into operation and allow VSY to enhance construction technology that will reduce costs and improve work performance times. The floating dock will also remove infrastructural limitations on the maximum width of vessels under construction at the shipyard, enabling VSY to build vessels with up to 30 metre width, almost doubling its current maximum width of 18 metres, and length of 150 metres.

“The semi-submersible barge is intended for the launch of hulls, skidding of hull structures with a maximum weight of 5000 tonnes, and carrying out transport operations or the transfer of cargoes outside the water area of our shipyard.

On top of this, it will help execute hull assembly works and launch icebreakers that are being built by VSY,” says Alexander. Approved by yard key specialists, VSY’s full-scale modernisation programme received financing from VTB Bank in July 2013, as part of its strategic collaboration with the Russian United Shipbuilding Corporation, which VSY joined in 2012. The shipyard has received a RUB 6.2 billion letter of credit documentary limit, within which the bank has

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Profile: Vyborg Shipyard

Trials on the Polar Star SSFDR

opened a number of credit lines for a sum of RUB

construction of SSFDRs and one of the few

4.2 billion to finance its activities.

As the most experienced yard in the

shipyards able to provide the industry with a variety of large vessels, VSY has worked on a

number of challenging projects, as Alexander highlights: “In 2007, VSY won the tender for the design, construction and delivery of two SSFDRs, the Polyarnaya Zvezda and Sevenoye Siyanie to be delivered to Gazflot LLC and operated in the Arctic seas.” Based on the concept design MOSS CS-50 MK-II, the two SSFDR’s units are designed to operate in arctic conditions, in ice thickness of up to 70 centimetres at temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius in a water depth of up to 500 metres and drilling depth of 7500 metres. The design life of the rigs is 20 years, with potential for further extension.

Boasting an excellent reputation in the construction of multi-purpose platform supply vessels, civil vessels, semi-submersible floating drilling platforms for Arctic operations, VSY signed a memorandum on Co-operation with Sovcomflot, Russia’s largest shipping firm that specialises in the transportation of oil, oil products and LNG. The memorandum, signed in June 2013, will strengthen the two parties co-operation in the domestic civil shipbuilding field and is part of an additional agreement between United Shipbuilding Corporation and Sovcomflot for the construction of ice class platform supply and support vessels at USC shipyards.

Dedicated to successfully completing challenging projects on time, VSY is currently constructing three diesel-powered sea-going 16 MW icebreakers for delivery in May, August and October 2015. “Two of these vessels will be built

by VSY on a turn-key basis, while one vessel will be built in co-operation with Arctech Helsinki Shipyard. The new icebreakers incorporate improved technical characteristics in relation to our experience of our winter operation of two ice breakers, project 21900 in the Finnish Gulf,” says Alexander. With a busy order book and continued enhancements of its yard, the future looks positive for VSY, which has a strategic plan for its ongoing success, as Alexander concludes: “Over the next few years we aim to obtain a solid number of contracts, modify our facilities and successfully complete our current projects. I can say that the whole VSY team is working hard on these goals every day.” v

Vyborg Shipyard www.vyborgshipyard.ru • Offshore shipbuilding specialist • One of the largest yards in Northwest Russia • Can provide the industry with a range of large vessels

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Profile: Lauritzen Kosan

Performing under

pressure R

elied upon by a growing list of some of the largest and most demanding companies in the world, Lauritzen Kosan offers dependable transportation of liquefied gases, such as energy gases (LPG) and petrochemical gases. With an undisputed and unsurpassed record for the safe handling of volatile cargoes, the gas carrier division of J. Lauritzen A/S has added some of the most technologically advanced and environmentally friendly vessels to its fleet. Controlling a

combined fleet of 43 semi-refrigerated/ethylene and fully pressurised gas carriers in the 3000 to 10,000 cbm segment, including vessels under construction, the division took delivery of Helle Kosan, the first of six 3700 cbm pressurised gas carriers to be built at Yangzhou Kejin shipyard in China in November 2010. The remaining five vessels were delivered in 2011 and 2012. “The Kosan brand has been in the market for the last 60 years and today operates in three different sectors: ethylene, semi-refrigerated and pressurised. We have three commercial offices,

Tenna Kosan, deck piping and vent masts

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Tenna Kosan, maintenance of cargo tank level gauge

our head office in Copenhagen, an office in Singapore and another in Shanghai, which we share with other divisions within J. Lauritzen A/S. It is here we do our own in-house commercial

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management and technical management on the semi-refrigerated ships and ethylene carriers; the

be solved quickly,” says Thomas Woidemann, president of Lauritzen Kosan. “Meanwhile, our pressurised fleet is mainly managed by the Japanese technical firm Star Management in Tokyo.” In comparison to other gas carrier firms, Lauritzen Kosan’s ships are small in size, which means more port calls and shorter voyages; it also means any technical incident that arises needs a swift solution.

Having developed a strong reputation for the dependable ocean transportation of petrochemical gases and energy gases, Lauritzen Kosan has established a dominant foothold in the European and Mediterranean markets. Moreover, the division’s Shanghai office has increased its share in the Far East market, serving major oil and gas firms involved in the development of massive operations in China.

Customer service is a core focus for the company, which is proven in its long list of returning clients, as Thomas explains: “We are

reason we have in-house management stems from our belief that technical incidents should

very close to our customers and have a dialogue with them every day, either through the broker or

Profile: Lauritzen Kosan

Tracey Kosan

Tenna Kosan

Victoria Kosan directly. Some of our contracts of affreightment go back to the mid-90s and have been renewed year on year for the past 18 years in a row.

To me this is very close customer contact; at Lauritzen Kosan we like to listen to our customers’ requirements and adjust our portfolio to what they really need. This can only be done with face to face contact.”

Being able to draw upon the support of parent group J. Lauritzen A/S, one of the world’s leading ocean transport providers, is one of the key strengths of the division, enhancing its profile as it continues building up international networks with customers based on trust, quality and flexibility. “Being part of an established brand name that has been present in the shipping industry for more than 125 years

allows us to promote our company more easily because clients will recognise who we are and what the respective business divisions can offer,” explains Thomas.

With an unsurpassed record for handling volatile cargo safely, another major strength of the division is its fleet of modern gas carriers, which includes the Isabella Kosan, the first in a series of ethylene carriers delivered in 2007.

Ranking among the most technologically advanced ships in the category, she is designed with unique environmental protection and safety features and was voted ‘Ship of the Year’ at Lloyd’s List London Awards 2008.

“These ethylene carriers were built to meet the expansion in the Middle East, with 13 vessels constructed from 2007 - 2010. The demand for

semi-refrigerated vessels is dying out, first of all because of high running costs and secondly the ethylene capability comes at a reasonable cost and offers flexibility. As we move forward, we aim to focus on larger carriers whilst maintaining our presence in the pressurised sector,” says Thomas.

Looking to the future, Lauritzen Kosan will also concentrate on the booming shale gas market in the US and will continue to expand its business in the Middle East. Furthermore, the division will carry on enhancing services for its customers, as Thomas concludes: “We are a dominant market player with a diversified fleet that emphasises being a responsible company.

This includes setting high standards on CSR, environmental protection, health and safety, anticorruption but also that we require our suppliers to fulfill these high ethical standards, which we ensure through follow-up procedures including audits. This is something that we believe in – we don’t want to follow others, we want to be front runner and continue adding value to our customers.” v

Lauritzen Kosan www.lauritzenkosan.com • Gas carrier division of J. Lauritzen A/S • Leading market position in Europe and Mediterranean • Has added semi-pressurised gas carriers to its fleet

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Profile: Hong Lam Marine

Embracing

Sea Contractor Sea Contractor (S) Pte is a manufacturer and fabricator of pilot and hardwood ladders. For the past four decades, it has gone from strength to strength and today it is a top supplier of ladders to local ship chandlers.

Innovation is one of the company’s core values. By focusing on product development, Sea Contractor is able to continuously create new products and services that meet the needs of its sophisticated customer base.

Furthermore, the use of integrated technology has enabled Sea Contractor to streamline its production processes and operations at every level. As a result it can offer clients cost efficiency, consistent performance and uncompromising productivity, and deliver the highest quality products.

When it comes to manufacturing, Sea Contractor’s facilities include a high-tech, safety-oriented factory and state-of-the-art machinery, both of which allow it to tailor products to individual customers’ needs. Its dedication to manufacturing is reflected in the top grade materials used, such as the finest hardwood and superb Grade 1 or 3, 3 Strand manila rope for its entire pilot ladder products.

As a leading manufacture and fabricator, Sea Contractor strives to be number one not just in the market but also among its customers. To this end, it works hard to anticipate customer needs, and overall, aims to take customer service to the next level.

innovation I ncorporated in 1981, Hong Lam Marine is now one of the most established bunker craft operators in Singapore. It aims to be at the forefront of the bunkering industry with newer and better tankers equipped with more advanced technology than the competition, and it has a resolute commitment to provide an outstanding level of service to customers.

Lim Han, executive director and head of harbour operations and crewing, explained that the company operates a fleet of 38 tankers with a total tonnage of 316,132 DWT. “We have two fleets – an ocean going fleet and a harbour fleet,” he said. “The ocean fleet consists of product tankers and chemical tankers trading mainly between the east of Suez up to the Far

East, while the harbour fleet operates mainly in Singapore with vessels also operating in Fujairah, Jebel Ali, Malaysia and Australia.

“Our harbour vessels are separated into three groups: bunkering, lub oil and jet fuel. These vessels inherently have different designs to suit the different types of operations. So for example, the lub oil barges have six separate pumps and dedicated lines to specific tanks as we carry different grades of lub oils on board and they cannot be mixed.

“The jet fuel barges and the bunker barges are pretty much similar with the exception that the jet fuel barges have tanks that are dedicated to jet fuel and nothing else.”

He continued: “All our harbour barges are purpose designed with the capability to go

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Profile: Hong Lam Marine

ZAF International FZE ZAF International FZE is a new generation, dynamic, ship management, chartering and marine services company offering value-added solutions with quality and reliability to the marine and offshore industry. It is based in the United Arab Emirates and represents Hong Lam Marine tankers operating in Fujairah, Jebel Ali and in the Gulf Region.

BURCO MARINE Burco Marine is a specialist in marine turbocharger technology.

The company’s vast experience has been accumulated in the marine industry over the past two decades, and today its professional team is dedicated to delivering high standards of turbocharger solutions and services to customers.

Burco Marine enjoys a worldwide network of strategic partners, giving it the opportunity to respond to customers’ calls wherever they are. The company prides itself on providing targeted customer solutions and raising the benchmark of the marine industry and offshore sectors.

alongside another vessel quickly and safely. This is done through the use of bow thrusters and also a twin-screw design.”

There is also a new build programme underway at Hong Lam Marine, with eight vessels already having been delivered, and two more due in 2013. “There is a very interesting basis to this investment,” said Han. “Our CE, Mr Lim, has a vision for us to be a ‘green’ company, and this will be done through the use of technology and a system that allows us to reduce our carbon footprint.

“So with our new build vessels, we have adopted the diesel electric model for operations in the harbour, and these are the first diesel electric bunkering vessels in the world. We have only two main generators on board as compared to two main engines and two generators on board a conventional vessel. We have designed our vessel to be single screw, allowing a better hull form and thus giving less resistance and better water flow to the propeller.

We have also fitted a high flap rudder for better manoeuvrability since we do not have a twin screw.

“With this new design, we will only require one generator at any point of time, whether

that is during movement or during a bunkering operation. We have also fitted a harbour generator, which is basically a smaller genset that is used when the vessel is in the loading terminal or idling at the anchorage.

“All these technologies have been put together for the main purpose of saving fuel based on estimates we can save up to 25 per cent in fuel and that directly reduces our carbon footprint.”

Hong Lam Marine is also the first company in Singapore to fit a mass flow meter (MFM) on board its vessels and to get it officially approved by the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). “With the use of the MFM, we are able to reduce the amount of time a vessel spends bunkering as there is no need for the receiving vessel to sound every tank before and after the bunkering operation. This in turn can increase the turn around time for the vessel. With the MFM, the delivery of bunker is also very accurate thus reducing the number of complaints from the customers,” explained Han. Hong Lam Marine is also a signatory on the MPA’s Green Pledge, which proves its commitment to promote and support clean and green shipping in Singapore.

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Profile: Hong Lam Marine

Looking to the future, the environmentally friendly technology Hong Lam Marine has already implemented should give it an advantage in the market. “The pressure to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint means there will be a requirement for more fuel efficient vessels and alternative energy sources, solar energy, wind, electrical energy generated onshore or LNG are being explored,” said Han. “There are many possibilities out there, but I would say that LNG would be the most relevant to us as ship bunkers. This will not come into play too soon as the infrastructure for LNG is still evolving, but it is something that we will be exploring in the years to come.” v

Hong Lam Marine www.honglam.com.sg • Main business is focused on safety and owning and operating vessels • Meeting customers’ needs is top priority • Dedicated safety team operates throughout the company

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Profile: Puerto Cortés

Easy

access E

stablished in 1965 by the Honduras National Port Authority, the port of Puerto Cortés is the deep water port in the region and today is 36th, in terms of volume, among all worldwide seaports to export containers carrying goods to the US. Well equipped to take on a lot of business traffic with the US, including the largest container companies in the world, the National Port Authority’s responsibilities are diverse, as Vladimiro Lozano, assistant port superintendent at Puerto Cortés, explains: “According to law the National Port Authority has jurisdiction and authority in national ports of Puerto Cortés, Tela, Puerto Castila in the Atlantic, La Ceiba, and San Lorenzo in the Pacific. We are responsible for a range of services, including the docking, undocking and departure of towing ships, the loading, unloading and transshipment of cargo ships, the mechanical displacement and movement of cargo and the handling, stacking and storage of cargo.”

With easy access to zones and industrial cities, the port of Puerto Cortés compliments its advantageous location with excellent facilities such as a port access channel of 1200 metres in length and 400 metres in width, 1157 metres of docks, 83,000 square metres of patio for storing dredgers and vans, 75,000 square metres for patio space to store containers, 32,000

Layout of the new bulk cargo terminal

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Satellite view of Puerto Cortés Peninsula

square metres to store goods, a free zone and refrigerated warehouse. It also has banking facilities, 85,000 square metres of patios leased, a 250,000-gallon water tank, emergency electricity of two megawatts and a 13,000 square metre bodegas area.

“In 2012 we moved approximately 525,000 TEU and approximately 9.6 million metric tonnes of cargo. Customer satisfaction is vitally important to us, which has led to major developments in infrastructure, involving a

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Layout of the new container terminal

$700 million investment plan to improve port operations through new facilities and the acquisition of new equipment.”

Following a highly competitive tender, International Container Terminal Services, Inc (ICTSI), won a 30-year concession for the construction, equipment, financing, maintenance, operation and exploitation of the

and Ficohsa bank, announced the winner on February 1st, stating ICTSI had offered an investment of $626 million over the first ten years in equipment and infrastructure for the new facility. Meanwhile, the Consortium Multisur SA de CV of Mexico won the tender for operation of the bulk terminal at the port.

“Currently our facilities are at 980,000 square metres; we have six berths, the first of which is where we unload fuel, the second is where we unload and load chemicals, berth three is multipurpose and used for loading and unloading as well as recharging bunker and fuel; berth four is mainly used for conventional cargo vessels, while berth five is used for the loading

general cargo and container terminal at the port. Coalianza, a public-private partnership between the federal government of Honduras

and unloading of containers,” says Vladimiro.

“Right now, we are going through a public and private alliance with where ICTSI is going to build

Profile: Puerto Cortés

Image of Puerto Cortés

1100 metres of berth for containers, a minimum draft of 14 or 15 metres and 50 hectares of total surface area. A new container terminal will be built as part of this $626 million investment; we also have an investment of $45 million to build another 215 metre berth to attend bulk cargo carriers.”

Strategically located in the centre of America, Puerto Cortés is in the middle of the largest markets of the world: America, Europe and Asia.

Boasting outstanding infrastructure and close

proximity to US seaports in the Gulf of Mexico and on the East coast, it has a 16 per cent share of the growth in the country. To further enhance these services, the Central Government has a major expansion plan in place to develop a railroad link to the Atlantic Coast, as Vladimiro concludes: “In line with these new investments, the Central Government plans in the future to connect the container terminal with a rail road link to the coast. We don’t have rail or freight in this country so far, but these plans will connect San Lorenzo in the Pacific with Puerto Cortés and Puerto Castilla in the Atlantic.

We have less than 400 kilometres between the Atlantic and Pacific; with that logistical production system we could develop a lot of potential for the future, such as factories that could export products all over the world. This is a strategic plan that will empower our port and give us the opportunity to work with companies all over the world.” v

Puerto Cortés http://www.enp.hn/web/index.html • One of the deep water ports in Central America • Strategically located • Major expansion plans are ongoing

ICTSI The 25 years’ experienced terminal operator, International Container Terminal Services Inc., through its subsidiary ‘Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana’ (OPC), will be operating the Container and General Cargo terminal of Puerto Cortés by the end of 2013. The tender for design, funding, construction, conservation, operation and exploitation was agreed in February this year. This will improve and grow the development of the port operations in Honduras.

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Grand

designs Multiworker

F

ollowing years of developing engineering and shipbuilding experience at Bayards and Damen, Wouter Hoek saw a gap in the market for a new, innovative company that could offer its customers a complete bespoke solution. “I started Hoek Naval Engineering in my own house in November 2009 as I wanted to go beyond common practices and offer a perfect fit for client demands,” explains Wouter. “The first project was for a pre-design shallow draft supply vessel, which had specifications including maximum cargo capability, minimum draught, fixed main dimensions and bollard pull requirements. This

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was a challenging project with successful results.

In 2010 I hired my first employees, there are now ten in total working at Hoek Naval Engineering and I feel we are progressing as we should.”

Establishing a business during a financial crisis had its challenges, but Hoek Naval Engineering quickly developed a reputation for listening to its clients and ensuring 100 per cent satisfaction, as Wouter highlights: “I had the idea to develop my own business for a long time and I knew that if Hoek Naval Engineering could survive a crisis it could survive any time. We are grateful to the clients that gave us a chance to show what we can do at the beginning; we are also happy that those clients have returned to us and

are still our clients now. We hear from our ship owning clients that they don’t get what they ask for from other companies, so we give 100 per cent, compromises are kept to the minimum on each design. It is important to us to meet clients and clarify specific requests; our flexibility and tools are what make us successful. The high-end design and engineering software supported with proper training, education and implementation from our reseller CADMatch has proven to be a successful combination with our professional young and dedicated team.”

Providing a variety of services, Hoek Naval Engineering subdivides these into four divisions: design, engineering, research & development

Profile: Hoek Naval Engineering Pusher tug

Versa worker

Crane barge grab dredger

and support, all of which are carried out by highly qualified and enthusiastic personnel. Working in a competitive environment, the company believes investigating, developing and implementing new technologies will ensure its customer’s product will be both technically and ecologically viable.

Through design studies, feasibility studies and 3D digital prototyping in its R&D department, Hoek Naval Engineering evaluates new products cost effectively, eliminating the need for a physical prototype.

Hoek Naval Engineering provides several services within its design division with the belief that designs are only limited by the boundaries of imagination; based on specific client requests the

We are grateful to the clients that gave us a chance to show what we can do at the beginning; we are also happy that those clients have returned to us and are still our clients now

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Left: Bumper Below: Bumper under construction

Below: Fuel barge

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company delivers 2D and 3D (pre-) designs that meet both regulatory and operational demands. Ship designs tend to comprise of a 3D ship model, 2D/3D general arrangement plan, 2D/3D body plan, weight evaluation/estimation, performance predication, cost price estimation and initial stability evaluation.

Aiming to diversify its markets, the company entered the yachting industry in 2012 with the exclusive RCG dealership which was originally intended for the offshore and workboat market, as Wouter elaborates: “Those within the yacht industry are always looking for the new solution, the clean solution, the silent solution, which is great for us to introduce new techniques into the shipping industry, as those in the maritime sector are more conservative towards new ideas. The RCG is a very clean turbine system with reduced noise and highly reduced CO2 and NOx emission compared to a diesel or fuel engine. It has been implemented into our own 45 metre, fully composite yacht design that will have new techniques implemented to introduce it. We are talking to a broker and there seems to be interest in our design, in preparation for this new market we intend to hire our own composite expert by the end of the year. We have no intention to outsource and want to provide a full service to our clients from A to Z; this is why we have also recently started to acquire a firm in Europe, which will double our staff capacity and ensure

consistent quality to our customers.”

The innovative company also entered the construction industry in early 2013 as part of a close co-operation with Hoek Equipment Services, which involved the development and launch of a new range of versatile inland watercraft. The HES Bumper-series was developed to be economical in cost and operation, with both firms able to build and deliver each of the vessels within the range inhouse and on demand. “The HES Bumper 803 is a road transportable, multi-purpose workboat that was developed for construction companies working on very small waterways; it is very simple to use and to maintain,” says Wouter. “It can be deployed for shore works, ferry work, with capacity for up to 12 passengers, and pushing and towing activities. We are the first to make a small boat for the construction industry, making it as cost effective as possible. For example, we have found ways around rules and regulations that means a person with a small sailing license can sail the boat, eliminating the need for a more expensive skipper. The engine has arrived so we will be testing it in two to three weeks

Profile: Hoek Naval Engineering

Crane barge grab dredger being prepared for transit A recent order for three IncradiLocks prove the versatility as the couplings are being integrated in a 45 m barge.

Throughout the rest of 2013, Wouter anticipates a huge influx of interest following the launch of a ground-breaking new project: “The concept of this project is nothing new, but the way the concept is integrated is something completely different to what is on the market now; it is truly a multifunctional design.” In preparation for this, the company’s acquisition of a European firm will open a new geographical market as it increases its focus on the offshore industry in the future. v

Hoek Naval Engineering www.hoeknaval.com • Established in 2009 • Specialises in maritime services for shipbuilding • On the verge of acquiring another company before it goes out for rent or sale.”

The Bumper 803 was the first vessel developed for the HES Bumper series, which was followed by the Bumper 1104, the bigger sister of the Bumper 803 at 11.9 metres in length and 3.99 in breadth; it has a capacity for up to 50 passengers during ferry projects and also has space available for four single berths below the forecastle deck. On top of this range, the two companies also developed the HNE VersaWorker series, a powerful group of multi-purpose work craft for inland, coastal and offshore deployment.

The smallest of these is the VersaWorker 1506, at 15.50 metres in length and 6.30 metres in breadth; it was developed for towing and pushing activities in inland waters and sheltered areas.

A derivative of the Versaworker 1506, the Pushertug 1606 has been adjusted to weigh significantly less and also has a large, flexibly mounted, removable deckhouse. “This product is currently being built and put on trial; design wise, it is not a pretty ship but it is what the client requested and benefits from a lot of accommodation space,” says Wouter.

As modularity is a frequently raised matter Hoek Naval Engineering developed a modulair pontoon system with patented coupling. “The IncradiFloats are interconnected with the patented IncradiLocks and stand out in durability, safety and flexibility. Currently we are working on the governmental permits to build and exploit our IncradiDock, a floating dock based on IncradiFloats and IncradiLocks,” said Wouter.

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Photo: Herald M.Valderhaug

Specialists in the manufacture of structures and equipment used in the renewable energy and offshore oil & gas industries, primarily for pipe, umbilical and cable laying.

We are pleased to have been associated with MAATS Tech Ltd for the last 14 years.

‘LEWEK CONNECTOR’ 3000te capacity Carousel (under deck) 6000te capacity deck Carousel Including deck equipment, tensioners, loading arms and a horizontal lay system.

2000 tonnes, all manufactured and installed in 2011.

Marine Fabricators Ltd Bays 1 - 7, Unit 1, Haverton Hill Shipyard, Haverton Hill, Stockton-on-Tees TS23 1PZ Tel: +44 (0) 1642 565646 – Fax: +44 (0) 1642 565687 www.marinefabricators.co.uk

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Profile: Maats Tech

Trusted marine

solutions

Marine Fabricators Marine Fabricators Ltd, based in North East England, has manufactured and installed: • Overboarding/lay towers: up to 200 tonne capacity • Carousels: (for flexible pipe and power cable) currently up to 7000 tonne, 27m diameters, to date 30 in total • Tensioner systems: currently to 30 tonnes capacity • ‘A’ Frames to 150 tonnes capacity The company has installed equipment in the UK, Norway, Holland, Croatia, South Africa and Brazil, and has LRQA approval, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

S

ince its last inclusion in Shipping and Marine magazine in November 2012 Maats Tech Ltd (Maats) has continued in its mission to provide total marine project solutions. Driven by a sea change in the way the major subsea contractors approach new vessel acquisitions, the company has continued to grow, with requests for quotations reaching the company on almost a weekly basis.

Working with shipyards to provide onestop solutions to the varying aspects of naval architecture and marine engineering, the company helps to facilitate the acquisition of new

vessels for the major offshore operators including Subsea 7, Technip, McDermott and Aker Solutions. From its three work sites across the UK Maats also specialises in providing bespoke carousel systems for specialist ship requirements.

The company designs all of its carousels individually and has catered for requirements of up to 7000 tonnes, plus the equipment is able to handle flexible pipe, umbilicals and power cables. The carousels are usually either a basket type or reel type (with or without an outside wall) although combination units can be provided to operate in either mode depending on the project requirements. The company’s head office is based in Micheldever, Hampshire, with its

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Profile: Maats Tech

Reflex vessel

Underdeck carousel

Xstrata coal support

Pressure vessel

Engineering and FEA Office in Gloucester and its Naval Architectural Office in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear.

Maats also supplies dolly base systems for deck-mounted reels. The reels can store up to 240 tonnes of flexible pipe product on each of eight 9.2m diameter reels. Maats also provides over-boarding and load-out equipment associated with the carousel system, including tensioners, chutes and a range of loading arms.

During the past eight months, the company’s growth has been accelerated by the different approach the major subsea contractors have taken to acquire their new vessels and at the same time the coming together of an uplift in deep water flex pipe laying and increase in demand for heavy cable laying for the wind industry and power distribution industry.

Elaborating on the subject, managing director, John Holt, observes that: “In the past, the subsea contractors would commission a shipyard to build the vessel and supply the mission equipment – diving systems, large cranes, pipelay systems – to the shipyard for the shipyard to install. The operator would make the capital investment in the mission equipment and provide the financing.

This approach has seen a major change wherein the operator says to the shipyard this is the vessel we require and here is the functional specification of the mission equipment, go out and find it,

deliver and finance it. The result is that Maats and other manufacturers get an enquiry from four or five shipyards all for the same project.” On the back of this approach, the company has secured four contracts, including a 7000te under-deck carousel for Subsea 7 HCV, which is currently under construction at HHI Korea. It has also secured contracts from Subsea 7 for three flexlay vessels with VLS top tension of 650te. These vessels will include carousels and 30te loading tensioners.

The 7000te Subsea 7 carousel is an ambitious project, representing the largest under-deck unit the company has produced so far and is designed to handle heavy cable or flex pipe-lay products. The flex-lay Subsea 7 vessels have been commissioned for a Brazilian company.

As well as these projects the company has several other constructions underway, including vessels being built in Romania and outfitted in Norway for Bergen, Kleven and Vard. There are also DSME (Korean) new builds for the Techip/ Oderbrecht partnership in Brazil, one vessel for Subsea 7 being built at IHC Holland and two vessels for IHC, which are also being produced at the Merwede facility in Holland.

Drawing on its comprehensive experience with carousel systems, the company has developed a detailed knowledge of varying deck layout and pathway engineering and boasts growing

CYRUS Cyrus RW is an innovative leader in applying ‘Engineering Excellence’ to provide solutions that meet the specific challenges of the 21st century. From a network of three manufacturing locations nationwide, Cyrus is able to offer a complete engineering service including precision machining, fabrication, cylinder, transmissions & gearbox manufacture and repair, electrical engineering and a composite division that offers rubber & polyurethane mouldings, linings and rollers. Encouraged by MAATS’ increased activity & success, Cyrus is proud to be a key supplier of tensioner track pads and carousel rollers and has recently completed an order that saw 1678 rubber moulded pads supplied for installation.

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Red Rooster Industrial UK As a recent supplier of 15t and 30t WLL electric pulling winches to MAATS Tech Limited, Red Rooster Industrial UK Limited take this opportunity to wish them every success in the future.

Red Rooster are experts in the sale, servicing, repair and rental of air hoists, electric chain hoists, lever hoists, manual chain hoists, wire rope hoists, powered winches, load cells, load shackles, snatch blocks and wire rope spoolers. Manufacturing and distribution centres based within Aberdeenshire – Scotland, West Midlands - England, Stavanger - Norway and Krakow Poland ensure quick and efficient response to all enquiries and orders.

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expertise in assisting operators to find solutions to complex operational handling requirements.

Having worked in the sector for over 25 years, Meets has earned a detailed understanding of the requirements of vessels operating in the offshore environment. This means that in addition to its design services it is able to offer a specialism in Finite Element Analysis, which is critical in

assessing the interplay between the incoming heavy mission equipment and the vessel.

At the core of the company’s mission is its dedicated team of engineers. Hiring in an offshore environment is difficult. Maats aims to provide quality management and design services. To ensure that the company is able to recruit the best people for its team, it looks to expand its human resources by engaging graduate and track record proven engineers.

This can be challenging as the company is keen to hire career personnel and the availability and fluidity of the market can make finding the right staff hard work. However, Maats is dedicated to having a strong core team. Despite the challenges its staff levels have increased by 20 per cent since 2012 and has a 30 per cent female to male makeup. These staff have mainly added to the company’s project management and detail design teams who underpin its ability to obtain new contracts.

Also vital in moving forward is the company’s finite element team, which is continually being expanded to further take advantage of the expertise that Maats is able to offer its clients.

Profile: Maats Tech

building operations to production operation.

This change reflects the fact that projects for Subsea 7 and others are repeat contracts, which are something rarely heard of in the industry and quite challenging. However, the ability of Maats to retain its customers and consistently rely on repeat contracts and product support operations demonstrates how the company’s specialist engineering is fast making it an industry leader. v

Maats Tech Ltd www.maats.co.uk • In operation for over 25 years • Total marine project solutions • Specialist engineering

Additionally its in-house project support has attracted work with Rutherford Labs for pressure vessel analysis, Nepean coal mine support fatigue analysis, Diamould ESP Cable Thermal FEA and Reflex Tech Solutions for whole ship analysis and Bergen for vessel/carousel interface assessment.

The net result of this investment in people and partners is that Maats is able to offer new solutions to its clients. As such, the company is currently engaged in the development of a whole vessel design for an inshore cable laying vessel that would include its established carousel and handling equipment. John further explains: “Offers for the full detail design have been made to the operators and we await feedback as we are quite keen on these vessels as they are not the usual run of the mill. They have to have the capability of laying in reasonably deep water (N/S-Baltic), but at the same time have the ability to ground if they lose the tide on a beach approach – our Caspian tugs had the same grounding capability.” The company’s development of new products is set to be bolstered in August 2013 as the company’s team has been tasked with commissioning Maats equipment on the Subsea 7 Seven Waves at IHC. “This is the first of the five Petrobras bound vessels that Maats is involved with and will be a milestone in the learning curve for the other vessels,” John elaborates.

These developments will place Maats in a strategic position to meet the challenges of an ever-changing market. Possible future projects are circulating due to the collision of offshore wind and platform cable lay requirements and the movement of flex lay operations into ever-deeper waters. During the second half

of 2013 the company intends to focus on HR and product expansion to meet the future demands of the market. In the short term, focus will be on shifting the direction of the business by moving some of the team from design and

Dormor Machine & Engineering Company Dormor Machine & Engineering Company is a medium-sized sub-contract facility based in Middlesbrough. It supports MAATS in the fabrication, machining and assembly of carousel parts, ie: roller assemblies/centre hubs. It has worked in tandem with MAATS for a number of years designing and modifying these assemblies to ensure the customer receives the optimum product.

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River port grain terminal

Tomorrow

today Ocean Topaz

Ocean Emerald

T

he Noble Group is a marketleading global supply chain manager of agricultural and energy products, metals and minerals. One of the backbones of the organisation is its subsidiary Noble Chartering Ltd. (NCL), which is a leading independent shipowner, operator and trader, providing high-quality, reliable, cost effective, safe and efficient logistics solutions. In its own right, NCL transports more than 94 million tons of dry bulk cargoes annually.

This includes both general market and Noble Group’s mined and traded cargoes with a ratio of 65 per cent third party and 35 per cent in-house cargoes. Currently NCL independently owns 12 vessels on the water and of these nine ships were delivered in 2010 or later. At any given time, NCL has over 300 vessels on charter control, in a variety of formats, including owned/bareboat/time charter period and trips.

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Since Noble Chartering was last featured in Shipping and Marine the company has seen significant growth and development. Raghu Raghunath took over as global head of chartering in early 2013, and as he explained, the changes since the last feature included the delivery of three new ships in 2012, two capesize and one panamax. “The Noble Group has invested in logistics by moving into a new port facility in Russia, where construction will start shortly,” he added. “Our new terminal in Mexico has also now commenced operations, and we have significantly expanded our office in Geneva and hired a few new members of staff there; this reflects the increase in our business volume, which continues to grow.”

In terms of the business, NCL’s performance over the past 25 years speaks for itself, and Raghu noted that the company continues to perform strongly moving forward: “2008 and

2009 were very good years for us and while the downturn in 2010 and 2011 meant we did not see the levels we were used to, we were still able to operate profitably,” he said. This success was built on several strong foundations, including a high level of staff retention, working across a range of market sectors and strong relationships built across industries, the last of which is very important to the company, as Raghu stated: “Most of our business is built on loyalty and the interactions we have with our key clients.”

NCL’s combination of formidable performance and dedication to working in partnership was also the key to the company’s alliance with one of the world’s leading ship owner/operator ‘K-Line’ of Japan. “This joint-venture is called K-Noble and its present activities include ship owning, cargo and ship fixtures. K-Noble has six ships in the pool and this number is growing,” said Raghu.

“This JV also gives Noble access to the entire dry cargo fleet of K Line, as well as access to the Japanese markets and promises to widen the business scope in coming years.”

Profile: Noble Chartering

Raghu Raghunath This joint venture also represents NCL’s expansion into new geographical areas. “We have diversified our footprint quite a bit in the last couple of years,” confirmed Raghu. “Over the last two decades our business model had been very China centric, but we are now seeing a fairly substantial volume growth in Japan, where we have worked hard to establish the same sort of relationships we have in China. We are one of the first companies outside of Japan that has been chosen by the Japanese power utilities for long-term contracts, and we are also now one of the largest owners moving grain from the US gulf to Japan.”

While discussing NCL’s impressive performance record, Raghu did note that there still remains a challenge in the industry that the company is contending with – poor performance from counterparties. “We now have the situation where credit has become a critical factor, with several large players including Pan Ocean filing for bankruptcy protection from the courts. The performance of our counterparties remains questionable, even what used to be regarded as first class names, so something that we

have to work on going forward is to ensure that we continue our strong progress while our counterparties are performing poorly.”

Nevertheless, with challenges come opportunities: “There is a lot more business out there that we haven’t exploited yet, and our unique strength in terms of our performance is valuable at this time,” said Raghu. “I think that the Pan Ocean default is the tip of the iceberg

and there will be many more companies that will have financial difficulties and that does create opportunities for firms like NCL that are strong. I think there are good prospects for us there.”

Even in stagnated markets, NCL’s vision is to be a leading ship operator over the next five years with a continued focus on profitability.

A major component of this strategy is the use of modern ships with safe, economic and eco friendly operations. Indeed, the environmental side is something NCL is very passionate about as a company and across the entire Noble Group. “We take that very seriously and actively participate in several different programmes, including the Clinton Initiative, the Carbon Disclosure Project and the World Ocean Council.

Every ship that we operate runs at the optimum

Ifchor Being one of the leading dry bulk shipbrokers in the world, Ifchor has valued Noble as one of its close clients for many years. Shipping has gone through some very hard years , and where other big names have disappeared, Noble, with its professionalism and expertise, has proven to be a rock solid force. Lead by a strong team Noble is regarded as a first class counterpart in shipping worldwide.

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Profile: Noble Chartering Ocean Emerald

simpson spence and young limted Simpson Spence and Young Limited (SSY, est.1880) is the largest independently owned ship-brokerage in the world.

Through its network of 15 offices worldwide, it provides a truly global one stop shipping service covering Dry Cargo, Tankers, LNG, Chemicals, Sale & Purchase, Agency & Towage, Research and Derivatives. SSY Futures is the derivative arm which provides specialist knowledge and expertise in Freight, Iron Ore, Steels, Scrap and Coking Coal Futures and Options.

SSY facilitates transactions for clients such as top tier trading houses like Noble, traditional ship owners, grain houses, mining companies, utility providers, banks, financial institutions, hedge funds, steel mills and more in order to help manage physical exposures and exploit opportunities in volatile markets across various products / commodities.

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speed of fuel consumption, and in reality the economics of the ship go hand in glove with minimising carbon emissions and environmental friendliness. Therefore, it serves two purposes to run our ships at eco speed – it brings our carbon emissions down so our carbon footprint remains within the parameters we set as a Group, and it’s the most cost efficient,” explained Raghu.

“NCL firmly believes in green ships and greener seas and is one of the first, if not the only, dry bulk chartering company to have actively pursued a carbon neutral policy across

its fleet since December 2008.”

The environmental side of NCL’s business falls under its CSR activities, which also encompasses the Group’s various charitable actions. Raghu himself, who recently received the Seatrade Young Person of the Year Award, is also an ambassador for the Sailor’s Society and is active in lots of aspects of this charity.

“This is a key aspect for Noble Group’s senior management and poverty, human rights and environmental issues are serious concerns for us, particularly with the Group’s focus as a ‘hands-on’ supply chain manager. We are on the ground, our eyes are open and we do not shirk our responsibilities,” he concluded. v

Noble Chartering www.thisisnoble.com • A worldwide trading pattern, carrying a diverse spread of cargoes • Noble Chartering makes a strong contribution to Noble Group’s profitability • Impeccable safety record and certified to ISO 9001:2008

Profile: Port of Antwerp

World

renowned C overing an area of over 12,000 hectares, Antwerp is one of the world’s biggest port areas. Within this space the Port Authority provides land, warehousing, covering and quays in concession to private enterprises to develop their commercial activities. The Authority also manages the utility lines, pipes and wind turbines in association with other parties.

Over the course of eight centuries the port has gone from a modest river site to a leading world port. Much of this success could arguably be attributed to its location as Antwerp is Europe’s most central seaport. In much the same way it is considered a gateway to Europe with links into many other continents beyond. The port has a huge scope of handling capacity, including a further seven million standard containers added by the Deurganck dock in 2005.

It is able to handle any type of freight including container, liquid bulk, dry bulk, breakbulk, and ro-ro, with a wide array of transport options

for moving it onto its next destination such as rail, road, barge and pipe. As a port with 24/7 access, Antwerp recognises the need to load and discharge goods as quickly and efficiently as possible. As such it boasts modern storage areas and machines such as fully automated warehouses, and even an undercover All Weather Terminal so that freight can be handled whatever the weather conditions.

On a daily basis 150,000 people contribute to the operation of the port, including 1650 employees at the Antwerp Port Authority. In terms of the day-to-day the Authority manages and maintains the docks, bridges, locks, quay walls and grounds, and ensures the safety of shipping within such areas. It also takes a view to the future, working towards the sustainable development and innovation of the port, as well as promoting it within Belgium and overseas.

The Antwerp Port Authority was established as an independent municipally-owned company in 1997 tasked with boosting the competitiveness of

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the port. The organisation has its own decisionmaking powers, and the ability to reach joint ventures with other companies or government departments. This enables it to flexibly meet the needs of a rapidly evolving maritime market.

As of the first six months of 2013, the port of Antwerp has handled 95,662,759 tonnes of freight – an increase of two per cent compared with the same period of 2012. In particular liquid bulk has seen strong growth, especially in petroleum derivatives. This is perhaps a reflection of the steady investment into the oil and chemical sector in recent years from tank storage companies, production companies and other players with sites at the port. Further planned investments will strengthen Antwerp’s position as the largest integrated petrochemical cluster in Europe.

Although volumes in the individual sectors may have contracted slightly the port also remains the second-largest container port in the Le HavreHamburg range, and the largest breakbulk port in

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Profile: Port of Antwerp

the range. Another interesting trend is that whilst the number of ships calling at the port decreased by 1.7 per cent in those six months, the gross tonnage rose by 3.5 per cent to 163.5 million, indicating that the size of vessels is growing.

Earlier in the year the Port of Antwerp was named winner of the Environmental World Ports Award at the World Ports and Trade Summit in Abu Dhabi. This recognises the port authority as having made a notable contribution to the environment. As part of its efforts to improve the quality of the environment, the port rewards clean vessels, controls waste flows as much as possible, and works with companies to try and reduce the emission of toxic substances. The success of this is plain to see as the emission of toxic substances per tonne of production has dropped by 40 per cent in the last ten years.

Other positive news is the award of a subsidy from the European Commission for liquefied natural gas (LNG), which will mainly be used to develop and build a bunkering station for barges in the port. For some time now the port of Antwerp has been preparing to make LNG available to vessels in the port in line with the stricter IMO regulations on sulphur content that are coming into effect. The preparatory work for the new bunkering station is already underway, with a view to have it completed by the end of 2015.

The Antwerp Port Authority is also looking to strengthen activities that are outside of the immediate area. This includes a new collaboration

agreement with the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo aimed at further strengthening trade relations. In terms of container trade between Europe and South America, Antwerp is already the market leader in the Hamburg-Le Havre range, and for Brazil specifically this market share is as much as 45 per cent.

The new agreement which runs until 2016 initially, also fits in with Antwerp’s ‘supply chain approach’ where the port acts as a link in the overall chain, enabling customers at either end to reach their own customers quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, the port of Antwerp’s recent Environmental Award means it is also now been asked to play a role in the sustainable developments of the ports of Sao Paulo. The Port of Antwerp was the first port to present a port wide sustainability report in 2010 and was awarded for this effort.

Looking forward Of course, the Antwerp port authority is also looking forward and has a long-term vision for investments in the port together with the port

community and the Flemish government. In the port area on the left bank, the building of the new Deurganckdock lock is underway. This second lock is of crucial importance to secure access to the port area and assuring its further development. The Deurganckdock lock will be the largest lock in the world, with a length of 500 m, a width of 68 m and a depth (relative to the local datum point) of 17.8 m. Larger, deeperladen ships will permit further development of economic activities on the left bank. v

Port of Antwerp www.portofantwerp.com www.sustainableportofantwerp.com • Europe’s biggest petrochemical cluster • Increase in freight volumes • Developing LNG bunkering station

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Inspired by success

O

pening in May 2010 as a subsidiary of the successful ferry operator AG Reederei Norden-Frisia, Frisia-Offshore (FO) has earned a reputation for delivering innovative design solutions and expert marine co-ordination services. The company was created after the successful completion of a co-operation between its parent company and Offshore Wind Technology (OWT), where personnel collaborated on foundation design, crew transfer and shipping co-ordination. The experience was positive enough to encourage the decision to make a committed entry into the offshore sector, and the business has continued to grow since its inception. Drawing on over 135 years of shipping experience, the company has a core knowledge of the requirements of the marine sector and has identified three key areas: operating crew transfer and guard vessels, as well as offering marine co-ordination services.

The company has designed and operates vessels built to specifically address the needs

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of offshore operations. These are its Wind Force boats, which operate as crew transfer vessel (CTV) and support vessel. Wind Force I and II (built in 2009 and 2013) are completely new build aluminum catamarans designed to focus on offshore requirements. The bow of the boats has been specifically designed to allow them to operate around wind farms and their aluminum design allows an impressive speed up to 25 knots. Project manager Stefan Goldbach explained some of the benefits of these vessels: “Compared to most CTV, which offer an offshore personnel capacity of 12 personnel, the Wind Force vessels are able to transport a compliment of 24 personnel while retaining the ability to carry equipment or supplies. In addition to this the vessels are equipped with deck cranes and have enough deck space to carry up to ten tonnes.

Both vessels are fully classed by Germanischer Lloyd (GL) or Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and fulfill highest safety standards.” Beside this, FO is able to take advantage of the infrastructure of its parent business, as the two are located in the

same area. This gives Frisia Offshore access to a host of facilities including storage areas and workshops with a minimum of start up cost.

Investment in the design and operation of the company’s CTV portfolio has given it a marketleading advantage in offshore crew transfer. With its two Wind Force vessels and a former patrol boat, which has been outfitted to meet offshore requirements, the majority of Frisia Offshore’s fleet operates at twice the capacity of other crew transfer vessels. The company’s competence in crew transfer operations was demonstrated in 2009, when it won three contracts for crew transfer, guard vessel and buoy laying on the Alpha Ventus project. Since the successful completion of this project the company has been awarded contracts that will see i.e. Wind Force I in operation until at least next year, which has bolstered the company’s reputation and given it a steady revenue stream while it explores future projects. One of the key developments in its crew transfer operations is a proposed joint venture with Offshore Wind Services B.V, which

Profile: Frisia-Offshore

would see crew transfer projects shared by the two companies. While the venture remains in development at this time, it would see OWS and Frisia linking their markets and co-operating in executing crew transfer operations. OWS currently has strong links to the UK market while Frisia Offshore has links to the Scandinavian market. The goal is running the CTV-business together in the future, referring to the market in Germany, Holland and possibly the Benelux countries. It is hoped that the effect will be to create an extensive market chain with both OWS and Frisia-Offshore leading the way in crew transfer services.

In addition to its crew transfer service the company is able to offer support in marine co-ordination of the operation of wind farms in an offshore environment. It operates Germany’s only privately owned buoy tenders and is able to facilitate the deployment and collection of buoys throughout the year. Beside this business, guard vessel duties bring a steady stream of work to the business and compliment the company’s design and crew transfer operations. FrisiaOffshore has been successful in winning multiple contracts in this area including one recently with Dong Energy, which will be crucial in the short term while the proposed joint venture with OWS is put into operation as Stefan elaborates: “We are currently focused on serving a new Guard vessel contract, so this will be our main focus for the next two years. We would also seek to earn more contracts for the boats. Likewise, our focus will also be on the CTV market with an order for a third vessel and the possible joint venture with OWS. We would like to try to achieve at least a few more contracts in this sector over the next few years. Of course we have made very good progress with the marine consultancy sector, which we will also hope to gain some contracts in this area.”

Frisia-Offshore has seen a rapid entry into the offshore sector and shows no sign of

losing any of its momentum. Its innovative design and offshore experience have given the company the tools to succeed a competitive market and its connections to local business and other offshore operators are set to drive the company in its goal of becoming the leading provider of crew transfer and offshore services in the German offshore wind industry. v

Frisia-Offshore www.frisia-offshore.de • Innovative design solutions • Rapid entry into offshore sector • New build aluminium catamarans

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cats

Cool for

C

atapult Catamarans Marine Projects is a family-run business, which manufactures high performance, fine entry power catamarans with island wheelhouse, all moulded in maintenance free GRP. The vessels have excellent power to weight ratio, giving a fast cruising speed with superb sea keeping and fuel economy.

Steve Guyan is the founder and MD of the company, and he noted that since Catapult was last featured in Shipping and Marine, it has seen a continued strong demand for its vessels, as well as worked on a large number of new contracts.

“We have also made some changes to our workshop by installing our own slipway, which enables us to launch our own vessels as well as pull customer vessels requiring maintenance and upgrades into the shed. We have also

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taken over the unit next door and expanded sideways to give us more workshop area, so we have about 12,000 sq feet now in total, but more expansion is planned for the future,” he said.

He continued with some additional details about the new vessels the company has developed: “We have built a class five and six passenger vessel, which was a first for us. This was a 55 seater for the Seabird Centre in Leith, Scotland, and we have built two hotel transfer boats for a Swedish client.

“At the moment we are also developing a new, smaller model catamaran, and that can come in nine metres, down to seven metres. It has an asymmetrical hull as that makes it faster and more efficient, and we are targeting the survey and smaller charter fishing markets with that. It’s going to be called the Catapult Blade, as it will be sharp and to the point!”

Steve also noted that Catapult is now gaining

a lot of business from the survey vessel sector: “We are currently building a boat for Fugro, the biggest survey company in the world and also have a boat in build for Sonardyne, another survey company in the UK, and another for Castle Charters.

“One of the areas we can add value to survey vessels is through the equipment installation, because we test the systems with customers and make sure that everything is sited in the most optimum position. When you are dealing with under water transducer heads, you have to make sure the data they collect is as clean as possible and not affected by water flows and so on. We can also ensure they’re located to give them the optimum scan angle and range. This can increase efficiency to such an extent that the same size area can be scanned in one track instead of two.

“We can custom build these transducers into

Profile: Catapult Catamarans Marine Projects

the vessels as well, which is especially useful as they are very valuable, but can be knocked off the vessel during surveys. Historically these items were fastened to poles by webbing straps and literally lowered into the water for a scan, but now we can offer the option of building these into the vessel, and they can be hydraulically lowered into the water for use, and then at the touch of a button can be retracted again for fast travel between sites. This is much more efficient for clients and also has safety implications.”

From talking to Steve, it is clear that Catapult Catamarans has evolved into something more complicated than a simple ship builder and he agreed that this was the case, to such an extent that he’s even changed the company’s name: “We are now known as Catapult Catamarans Marine Projects because of the development work we are doing with bigger clients,” he said.

He also added some details of another service Catapult provides: “We have a spares department, and we are known for tracking down parts for older ships where owners can’t find that one essential component they need to keep an otherwise good boat running. Using our networking we can usually pull various bits together and create a kit and send it out to them, anywhere in the world.”

In fact, diversification is something Steve is keen on, but the amount of bureaucracy involved does make it a slow process. “When we created our passenger ferry last year, we went through MCA accreditation, we are also certified

by Seafish and the Irish Marine Department but every new market we enter requires more paperwork.”

He continued: “The passenger vessel especially did take a lot of time on the paperwork side, but we worked with the MCA very closely on type approvals, because when a vessel is built to a full class society specification,

everything on that vessel must conform to class. A lot of these rules are written for bigger boats and we were building a relatively small one, so some of the rules just weren’t achievable.

This meant we had to apply for one off exemptions and put forward alternative solutions. We went through the process and created a great vessel, but all of those procedures do take time.”

Thanks to its dedication and willingness to create just the right vessel, Catapult has a full order book for the rest of 2013, and Steve noted that although they are various sizes and destined for different uses, the overall approach will be the same. “What we really do is solve problems,” he said. “Clients come to us with a challenge,

we go through it with them and learn how they are trying to work the vessel, so that we can understand their requirements, and then we can create a solution that makes their job easier, and fulfils their needs.

“So we design everything with the customer, they send their drawing guys down, we work on ideas together and go back to the drawing board until we all agree on what we will build. This really creates a team between the client and us, and by adopting a real partnership approach it all comes together in the end and many customers order second and third vessels!” v

Catapult Catamarans Marine Projects www.catapultcatamarans.co.uk • Now has a team of 18 full time staff • Continued plans for expansion • Problem solving approach to vessel creation

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Rapid response

V

ikoma International Limited is a world leader in the design and manufacture of oil and chemical pollution control systems with a reputation in the global oil spill industry for developing innovative, high performance products to deal with all types of major response scenarios. The company, which provides solutions to over 140 countries, prides itself on supplying efficient, effective and reliable equipment for the containment and recovery of spilled oil and the protection of the environment.

Vikoma has built up considerable experience in its field, having been founded by BP in 1967 following the notorious Torry Canyon oil spill. Today the company is the leading player in the market, a position that it has achieved due to its highly knowledgeable and experienced engineering and design team, an extensive global sales network and an in-house manufacturing capability.

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The latter point is a key strength of Vikoma as the company’s ability to design and manufacture in the UK allows it to ensure quality and reliability standards remain at the highest level. In fact, the business is one of the few manufacturers of oil spill response equipment in the world to hold the BS ISO 9001:2008 certification for sales, design, development, manufacture, installation and commissioning.

Oil spill response and containment is becoming an increasingly important area in the offshore and marine industries, and as such Vikoma’s customers include many of the major oil companies, governments, ports and harbours, and major spill response organisations around the world. For these clients the company offers a wide product portfolio that includes a broad range of oil spill containment booms manufactured in high-quality neoprene and polyurethane for use in offshore, near shore and inland environments, high efficiency oil skimmers for both marine and industrial applications,

a range of workboats and vessels, and a full complement of auxiliary equipment such as storage tanks, pumps, hydraulic powerpacks, and even training and commissioning services.

The company prides itself on continuously investing in and improving this range with the addition of new innovations. In fact, in April 2013 Vikoma launched a major new offshore oil recovery solution at Spillcon 2013, the AsiaPacific Oil Spill Prevention and Preparedness Conference and Exhibition that was held in Cairns, Australia. The new product, the OPRS 300 is the latest addition to the company’s range of class-leading offshore oil pollution recovery systems and is based upon patented oil-attracting disks that have been proven to collect up to 300m3 per hour of oil, and can work across oils with viscosities ranging from one to one million cSt. The OPRS 300 consists of a floating skimmer head that utilises Vikoma’s tufted disk technology, combined with both an on-board

Profile: Vikoma International

recovered oil discharge pump and thrusters for manoeuvrability. Speaking of the product’s innovative design Vikoma’s managing director, Peter Tyler, explained that: “We are delighted to be launching this exciting new product at Spillcon 2013. Our design, engineering and manufacturing teams were presented with a challenging brief based on specific market feedback. Thanks to the introduction of a number of innovative solutions, the result is a system utilising a unique oil collection principle.

“This truly collaborative effort has seen us rise to the challenge of bringing this from an initial concept stage to delivering the largest capacity recovery system Vikoma has ever produced.

Our market research indicated a strong demand for this system and as such, we fully expect the OPRS 300 to become a leading product in our portfolio.”

The OPRS joins Vikoma’s skimmer products, which are generally accepted as the world’s leading range of solutions in this area, with its Komara range having an oil recovery efficiency of greater than 98 per cent. Alongside skimmers, pollution recovery systems and spill containment

booms, the company also designs and manufactures a range of workboats and vessels that can be used for a number of applications.

The Vikosprint, for example, is a fast, flexible and extremely agile aluminium trimaran, which is available as a standard workboat or as an oil spill recovery vessel complete with onboard recovery system and rigid booms. Offered in four sizes (12 metres, 16 metres, 21 metres and 30 metres lengths) Vikosprint can be provided with a range of Vikoma oil spill response equipment to deal with a wide variety of spill and contaminant situations. The company also offers a range of smaller vessels, such as the delta responder, delta clean and spillcat, which are for use in harbours or near-shore locations and are capable of meeting a number of spill or similar challenges.

Vikoma realises that an oil spill, regardless of size or environment, can have an enormous impact on a company’s operations. As such, alongside its products the company provides a range of after-sales training services ranging from spares kits and individual parts, through to a full training and commissioning service. These

include IMO Level 1 Beachmaster courses as well as engineer training and operator training programmes, meaning that the company can train a client’s employees in nearly every aspect of the product and its application.

For nearly 50 years Vikoma International has been dedicated to the recovery and containment of spilled oil and other contaminants. Today the business has built a world-renowned product range that is capable of meeting the most challenging environmental disasters. With the environmental impact of offshore and marine operations becoming an increasingly important issue worldwide, those in the industry can rely on Vikoma to ensure that these operations remain safe long into the future. v

Vikoma International www.vikoma.com • Highly experienced and skilled employees • Full range of oil spill recovery products • Extensive after-sales and training services

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Steady

growth

M

atre was founded in 1953, in Bømlo at the west coast of Norway. Here, at the very heart of a major maritime cluster, with roots dating all the way back to the Viking era, the company has grown and evolved steadily.

Six decades after it was established, Matre is today a renowned provider of products, systems and services for the global maritime and offshore industry, focusing on fire fighting solutions, calibrating equipment, pumps and machining services.

The company’s products are delivered worldwide to a large base of regular customers both at home and abroad, and its clients include blue-chip names such as Tyco Fire and Integrated Solutions (UK), UMOE Schat-Harding AS, Rolls Royce and Siemens.

When selling products to customers such as these, who place extremely high demands on

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accuracy and materials, Matre needs to adhere to the highest levels of quality and utilise the very best equipment. The company is proud of the fact that it upholds both of these values, as well as employing a team of highly dedicated and experienced professionals working in engineering, mechanical and machine operation.

Its team of staff places great emphasis on quality, product development, flexible and reliable solutions, and designs that are tailor-made for each customer or project. This has resulted in a steady rate of innovations within each of Matre’s different product ranges.

When it comes to fire fighting, Matre provides a worldwide field service, comprising commissioning of new fire fighting equipment on board rigs and vessels, general maintenance of Matre equipment, annual inspections of DIFFS, maintenance of major deluges, as well as retrofits, conversions and modifications of existing helideck systems. In addition it also offers

in-house repairs and services of Matre fire fighting equipment at its Bømlo facility.

The DIFFS mentioned previously refers to Matre’s ‘Deck Integrated Fire Fighting System’, which was specially developed to extinguish fires on helidecks. An activated DIFFS system will extinguish a major spill fire on the helideck within 15 seconds, although tests have shown that such fires in most cases are extinguished in less than ten seconds.

Matre DIFFS can be automatically activated by a detection system or manually by release panels (push buttons). Rescue personnel can safely perform rescue operations on the helideck even when the system is fully activated. This technology can be used on many various installations and can be customised according to customer specifications. Today Matre DIFFS are used on various offshore installations as well as yachts and roof top helidecks.

DIFFS consist of foam mixing skids and Matre

Profile: Matre

pop-up nozzles. In fact, Matre has developed several different types of nozzles for fire fighting. These are permanently installed high capacity deluge or flexi nozzles and pop-up nozzles for helidecks or larger areas such as hangars.

Foam proportioning equipment is also one of Matre’s innovations and the company has delivered specially designed foam proportioners for use on industrial, marine and offshore installations since the 1980s.

As a result of strategic developments in this area and a strong focus on safety and accuracy, Matre has created a wide range of proportioner models and sizes in order to become a complete supplier of this technology and to keep its position as a leading supplier of high quality foam proportioning equipment.

Another revenue stream for Matre is its range of specially designed, effective and reliable liquid ring pumps and centrifugal pumps. These products represent state-of-the-art pumping technology, and result from many years of research and development - often in close cooperation with customers.

Matre Pumps are utilised by some of the worlds most recognised manufacturers of diesel engines and lifeboats, including Wärtsilä, Drivetrain Sweden, CAT Diesel and Cummins Diesel. The pumps are delivered in salt-water resistant bronze, with shafts of stainless steel and feature a robust design that can withstand polluted water containing particles such as sand and shell.

An additional area of business for Matre is its line of calibration equipment, which is designed for the adjustment of thermostats and pressureswitches. The intention is to meet the demands and needs of the classifying authorities regarding the calibration of sensors in unmanned engine rooms. Common to all Matre calibrators is that they are extremely simple to use, dependable and easily portable. Matre Calibrators have obtained

great respect in the industry and are delivered to ship and yards worldwide. The range includes the Matre Pressure Calibrator (TRT2) and the Matre Thermo Calibrator (TET4).

The above product range is also complemented by Matre’s machining services, which have progressed through 60 years of delivering custom made solutions for offshore and maritime applications. As a result of this work, Matre has gained superior experience with machining special steel – resulting in a high number of commissions as subcontractor for machined components. At Matre’s production plant its experts are equipped with modern and advanced CNC-controlled machine tools, ensuring effective production and accuracy in every detail.

Throughout this comprehensive range of complementary products and services there is one common theme - high quality. Strict programmes for testing and control, guided by an ISO 9001 certified quality assurance system, ensures that every delivery meets the current safety regulations, project specifications and the customers’ requirements. After 60 years in business, Matre has learned how to ensure customer satisfaction and now prides itself on being the global market leader in its sector. The company has every intention of maintaining this position well into the future. v

Matre www.matre.no • Specially designed FIFI equipment for the maritime & offshore industry • High quality product development • Prides itself on flexibility

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Essence of

S

progress

ince its last inclusion in Shipping and Marine, Caterpillar Marine Power Systems has continued to develop its role as the central point of sales and service activities for Cat and MaK branded marine products within Caterpillar Inc. The company identifies its essence as one of progress and with this at the forefront of its operations has continued to build on its impressive portfolio of products and services.

Although the company’s main focus is on propulsion engines and generator sets, it also provides a wider portfolio of products including auxiliary engines, electronics, displays and pleasure craft solutions. Its view is that when it comes to reliable engine power on the water, compromise is not an option and it strives to deliver world-class durability across each of its market sectors. Currently the company produces Cat branded engines operating between 250 to 21,475 bhp and MaK Engines with a range between 1020 to 16,000 kW. The company’s range of engines are designed to meet the requirements of sectors including cruise ship, ferry, cargo, government, pleasure craft, inland water way, offshore, tugs and salvage, dredging and fishing. It approaches engine design with an aim to achieve maximum productivity with minimum outlay, understanding that in both industrial and leisure pursuits cost-effectiveness is of paramount importance. Its engines are designed with long-term durability and high fuel efficiency as the key selling points for its customers. Its Cat Marine generator sets operate from 12 to 5200 ekW, while its MaK generator sets operate between 970 to 7680 kWe and are likewise designed to be rugged and reliable. Crucially, all Cat generator sets are designed to be approved by major marine classification societies and are constructed in ISO 9001 certified facilities.

The company consistently strives to develop new technologies and expand on its existing ones to drive its business forward and improve performance. In 2007 over 400 patents were granted throughout he company and these figures continued to rise for the next two years consecutively. More recently the company has been focused on LNG engine technology as part of its on-going commitment to developing environmentally clean, fuel-efficient engines for the marine industry. In 2011 it introduced the MaK 46 DF duel-fuel engine platform, which is scheduled to be available to the commercial marine industry in the first quarter of 2014.

In addition to this the company has been in simultaneous development of an LNG-fueled, high-speed engine below two MW that will be designed primarily for electronic propulsion. The application of this engine is currently focused on offshore and ferry industries, however other sectors remain a possibility.

“This extended focus on LNG technology reflects our greater understanding of and response to current and future customer needs,” elaborates Marine Power Systems project director Bob Hallengren.

“These fuel-efficient, sustainable propulsion engines will offer enhanced performance, productivity, reliability and longevity while enabling our customers to meet ever-stricter emissions requirements.”

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Further expansion of its product portfolio has been in its pleasure craft range, which has been broadened with the introduction of a new supercharged, high performance diesel engine. The company’s pleasure craft range is designed to provide its customers with the power to explore, while retaining its reputation for reliable, cost effective propulsion systems.

The new Cat C8.7 super-charged diesel engine was created in tandem with Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT Industrial S.p.A) and is expected to be ready for delivery in 2014. FPT advances in second-generation common rail fuel injection systems coupled with an innovative air management system enables the C8.7 to develop an impressive 650 mhp at 2300 rpm, while meeting EPA tier three, IMO two and CCNR stage two emissions requirements: “We are extremely excited to bring the first of several new engine products to the market,” explains David Shannon, pleasure-craft global sales manager. “The C8.7 pleasure craft engine will replace the 575 mhp C9 with a common rail fuel system and a new air management system, allowing us to produce 650 mhp from a smaller and lighter package. In addition to the horsepower gain, this engine will have one of the strongest torque curves in our industry. The customer will experience impressive power gains and vessel performance with this new product, especially in the pod market.”

Logistically, Caterpillar Marine Power Systems is a truly global company with marketing and customer service infrastructure covering Europe, Africa, The Middle East, Asia Pacific and The Americas. Regional headquarters in these areas are responsible for working with dealers to ensure that the company is able to provide expertise, specialists and spare parts to marine customers wherever in the world their ships may be. Complimenting the 90,000 personnel working throughout Caterpillar, its global sales and service network comprises 2100 dealer locations around the world working with over 100,000 people. Dealers must meet rigorous standards for excellence and only the best are authorised to service Caterpillar customers. An ongoing education system is in place to ensure that dealers are able to provide the best service for the company’s new products and that they are able to operate within ever-more stringent industry standards. The company aims to provide a one-stop, full service circle, which is a simple principle where its dealers are able to offer a full spectrum of services through a single point of contact. Offering everything from installation, repair and maintenance through to training, documentation and finance solutions, Caterpillar Marine ensures a comprehensive package of services is available to its customers.

One of Caterpillar Marine’s more unique services is its dedication to providing details for its legacy products that are no longer in production. The company has been designing and building engines and generator sets for the marine sector for over 80 years and due to their rugged design, many of these older designs are still powering vessels around the world. Product specifications are made available through the company’s website so that required parts can be identified and passed to one of its dealers to track the availability of the parts around the world or find suitable alternatives

Profile: Caterpillar Marine Power Systems

as necessary. With 70 part distribution centres around the world, in 24 countries, across six continents, 99 per cent of parts are shipped from distribution centres with in 24 hours of being ordered. This monolithic effort enables Caterpillar Marine to provide excellent customer service in all of the sectors that it serves.

Future technology is a core principle for the company in moving forward.

For Caterpillar Marine, research is not simply driven by market demands, but by developing technologies that drive positive, sustainable change in every corner of the world. The company is dedicated to preserving the world’s seas, lakes and rivers, and works to develop marine applications that benefit from its overall activity in test and development. The company has an expert awareness of environmental and emissions regulations and invests heavily to ensure that regulations are met without any impact on performance. Its engineers are supported in this by the company’s technical research centre in Peoria, Illinois and Caterpillar Motoren in Kiel, Germany, which carry out fundamental research on combustion, emissions, noise, structures, materials and complete power systems. Caterpillar Marine is dedicating to embedding an environmentally driven culture within its business and delivering solutions to difficult problems and one area it has been particularly keen to develop is fuel efficiency. Its $500 million development in ACERT Technology allows the combustion process to be shaped and managed with an extremely high degree of precision, resulting in more efficient engines and less environmentally damaging emissions.

The company is also committed to operating in a way that is sustainable for marine habitats and the creatures that live in them. Recently it embarked in a multi-year partnership with OCEARCH, which will propel the organisation’s research on shark populations: “Most people think sharks are invincible,” explains OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer: “But they are in real danger. We must find a sustainable path forward because sharks play a crucial role in maintaining balance in the delicate oceanic ecosystem. Now, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Caterpillar, we can continue our critical research expeditions that generate the data needed to inform policy makers, students and the general public on this issue.” Fischer’s vessel, the MV OCEARCH, is already powered by Cat on the water. It operates on two Cat engines and three Cat generators that power the ship’s onboard laboratory, custom-built hydraulic lift and 55,000-pound capacity research platform.

“OCEARCH’s significant work is advancing our knowledge and sustaining the waters that are so vital to people and economies around the world,” comments Tom Frake, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the Marine and Petroleum Power Division: “The fact he’s a loyal Cat customer is an added bonus. We’re proud to associate our two brands, which share common values, high levels of success and a commitment to sustainability.”

Caterpillar Marine Power Systems is at its core a quality driven company offering propulsion solutions to the marine sector for and range of applications. Its customer focused global support network and its dedication to offering sustainable growth that benefits both its customers and the environment will undoubtedly encourage the company to continue to its research as it powers into the future. v

Caterpillar Marine Power Systems www.marine.cat.com • Reliable propulsion systems • Environmentally sound solutions• Global supply network

www.shippingandmarine.co.uk - 95

Shipping &MARINE

The magazine for maritime management

www.shippingandmarine.co.uk Editor: Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales manager: Rob Wagner rwagner@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

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